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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

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shall  contain  the  symbol  — ^>  (meaning  "CON- 
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whichever  applies. 


L«9  images  suivantes  ont  At4  reprodultes  avec  le 
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de  le  nettet*  de  I'exempleire  film*,  et  en 
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empreinte. 

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derniAre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le 
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symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


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method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  Atre 
filmte  A  des  taux  de  reduction  diffirents. 
Lorsque  le  document  est  trop  grand  pour  Atre 
reproduit  en  un  seui  clichA,  11  est  film*  d  partir 
de  I'angle  supArieur  gauche,  de  gauche  A  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bes,  en  prenant  ie  nombre 
d'iniages  nicesssire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
illustrent  la  m6thode. 


1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

The  Father  of  the  Atlantic  Cable 


CVRUS    W.    FiBLB. 


Communication  by  electric  cable  was  es- 
tablished across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  in  1858, 
and  on  August  T6th  the  first  message  was 
transmitted  reading  "EJigland  and  America 
are  united  by  telegraph.  Glory  to  God  in 
the  highest  and  on  earth  peace  and  good  will 
towards  ^  men."  This  cable,  however,  was 
broken  in  a  few  weeks.  The  undaunted 
energy,  pluck  and  pertinacity  of  purpose 
stored  up  in  the  mind  and  body  of  Cyrus 
W.  Field  was,  however,  not  to  be  conquered, 
notwithstanding  that  many  financiers  and 
the  public  generally  looked  upon  the  project 
as  hopeless.  Mr.  Field  crossed  and  re- 
crossed  the  Atlantic  addressing  public  meet- 
ings in  England  and  the  United  States,  urg- 
ing further  effort. 

In  1864  the  necessary  capital  was  raised  to  renew  the  enterprise. 
A  new  cable  was  constructed  and  coiled  on  board  the  Great  Eastern, 
the  largest  ship  of  its  day.  She  sailed  in  1865  and  when  i,aoo  miles 
had  been  paid  out,  the  cable  was  broken,  owing  to  a  sudden  lurch  of 
the  ship.  The  attempt  to  lay  the  cable  was  therefore  abandoned 
for  that  year. 

In  the  summer  of  1866  the  project  was  renewed  and  this  time  with 
complete  success. 

This  brave  enterprise  was  carried  on  by  the  enthusiasm  and  de- 
termination of  Cyrus  W.  Field.^  Capitalists  had  faith  in  him  and  he 
was  highly  honored  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic.  Congress  voted 
him  a  gold  medal  and  the  thanks  of  the  nation.  He  was  referred 
to  in  a  speech  in  the  House  of  Parliament  as  "The  Columbus  of 
modern  times,  who,  by  this  cable  had  moored  the  new  world  along- 
side of  the  old."  The  Paris  Exposition  in  1867  gave  him  the  grand 
medal,  the  highest  prize  at  its  disposal ;  he  also  received  a  decoration 
from  King  Victor  Emanuel  of  Italy.  A  gold  medal  was  also  presented 
to  him  by  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  of  New  York ;  a  similar  gift  was 
presented   by  the    State  of   Wisconsin. 

Mr.  Field  was  born  in  Stockbridge,  Mass.,  November  30th,  1819,  and 
died  Tuesday,  July  12th,  1892,  after  months  of  suffering. 


In  connection  with  the  foregoing  article  the  "Summary  of  Cables 
Owned  by  Private  Companies"  may  be  interesting. 

Length    of    Cables 
in  Nautical  miles. 

African  District  Telegraph  Company 3,023 

Amazon    Telegraph    Company * 1,326 

Anglo-American   Telegraph    Company 9,530 

Black  Sea  Telegraph  Company 337 

Canadian  Pacific  Railroad  Company 122 

Central  &  South  American  Telegraph  Co 11,968 

Commercial   Cable  Company I5i446 

Commercial  Pacific  10,008 

Commercial  Cable  Company  of  Cuba 1,285 

Compagnie  Francaise  des  Cables  Telegraphiques ii>429 

Cuba  Submarine  Telegraph  Company , x,i(» 

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THE   STORY 


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ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH 


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HENRY    M.    FIELD 


"SInco  tho  fllscovory  of  Columbus,  nntliinff  hiw  lioon  done  In 
any  de»ireo  oompaiiiblo  to  tho  viist  onluitfunient  which  huit  thus 
been  given  to  the  sphere  of  human  activity." 

—The  Times,  August  6th,  1R58. 


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NEW   YORK 

CHAKLES  SCRIHNER'S   SONS 

1802 


V 


TK'^oG^'S,  F4 


COPTBIOHT,   1898,  BY 

HENRY  M.   FIELD. 


Press  of  J.  J.  Little  &  Co. 
Astor  Place,  New  York 


PKEFACE 

The  recent  death  of  Mr.  Cyrus  "W.  Field  recalls 
attention  to  the  great  enterprise  with  which  his  name 
will  be  forever  associated.  "  The  Atlantic  Telegraph," 
said  the  late  Chief  Justice  Chase,  "  is  the  most  wonder- 
ful achievement  of  civilization,  and  entitles  its  author 
to  a  distinguished  rank  among  public  benefactors. 
High  upon  that  illustrious  roll  will  his  name  be  placed, 
and  there  will  it  remain  while  oceans  divide,  and  tele- 
graphs unite,  mankind."  The  memory  of  such  an 
achievement  the  world  should  not  let  die.  The  story 
of  its  varied  fortunes  reads  like  a  tale  of  adventure. 
From  the  beginning  it  was  a  series  of  battles, -fighting 
against  the  elements  and  against  the  unbelief  of  men. 
This  long  struggle  the  new  generation  may  forget, 
profiting  by  the  result,  but  thinking  little  of  the 
means  by  which  it  was  attained.  What  toil  of  hand 
and  brain  had  gone  before ;  what  days  and  nights  of 
watching  and  weariness ;  how  often  hope  deferred  had 
made  the  heart  sick :  how  year  after  year  had  dragged 
on,  and  seen  the  end  still  afar  off — all  that  is  dimly 
remembered,  even  by  those  who  reap  the  fruits  of 
victory.     And  yet  in  the  history  of  human  achieve- 


i  5?.51 9^j 


IV 


PREFACE. 


ments,  it  is  necessary  to  trace  these  beginnings  step  by 
step,  if  we  would  learn  the  lesson  they  teach,  that  it  is 
only  out  of  heroic  patience  and  perseverance  that  any- 
thing truly  great  is  born. 

Twelve  years  of  unceasing  toil  was  the  price  the 
Atlantic  Telegraph  cost  its  projector;  and  not  years 
lighted  up  by  the  assurance  of  success,  but  that  were 
often  darkened  with  despair :  years  in  which  he  was 
restlessly  crossing  and  recrossing  the  ocean,  only  to 
find  on  either  side,  worse  than  storms  and  tempests, 
an  incredulity  which  sneered  at  every  failure,  and 
derided  the  attempt  as  a  delusion  and  a  dream. 
Against  such  discouragements  nothing  could  prevail 
but  that  faith,  or  fanaticism,  which,  believing  the 
incredible,  achieves  the  impossible.  Such  a  tale,  apart 
from  the  results,  is  in  itself  a  lesson  and  an  inspiration. 

In  attempting  to  chronicle  all  this,  the  relation  of 
the  writer  to  the  prime  mover  has  given  him  facilities 
for  obtaining  the  materials  of  an  authentic  history; 
but  he  trusts  that  it  will  not  lead  him  to  overstep  the 
limits  of  modest3\  Standing  by  a  new-made  grave,  he 
has  no  wish  to  indulge  in  undue  praise  even  of  the 
beloved  dead.  Enough  for  him  is  it  to  unroll  the  can- 
vas on  which  the  chief  actor  stands  forth  as  the  con- 
spicuous figure.  But  in  a  work  of  such  magnitude 
there  are  many  actors,  and  there  is  glory  enough  for 
all ;  and  it  is  a  sacred  duty  to  the  dead  to  recognize, 
as  he  did,  what  was  duo  to  the  brave  companions  in 


PREFACE. 


arms,  who  stood  by  him  in  disaster  and  defeat ;  who 
believed  in  him  even  when  his  own  countrymen 
doubted  and  despaired ;  and  furnished  anew  men  and 
money  and  ships  for  the  final  conquest  of  the  sea.  If 
history  records  that  the  enterprise  of  the  Atlantic  Tel- 
egraph owed  its  inception  to  the  faith  and  daring  of 
an  American,  it  will  also  record  that  all  his  ardor  and 
activity  would  have  been  of  no  avail  but  for  the  sci- 
ence and  seamanship,  the  capital  and  the  undaunted 
courage,  of  England.  But  when  all  these  conditions 
were  supplied,  it  is  the  testimony  of  Englishmen  them- 
selves that  his  was  the  spirit  within  the  wheels  that 
made  them  revolve ;  that  it  was  his  intense  vitality 
that  infused  itself  into  a  great  organization,  and  made 
the  dream  of  science  the  reality  of  the  world.  This 
is  not  to  his  honor  alone :  it  is  a  matter  of  national 
pride ;  and  Americans  may  be  pardoned  if,  in  the  year 
in  which  they  celebrate  the  discovery  of  the  continent, 
they  recall  that  it  was  one  of  their  countrymen  whom 
the  Great  Commoner  of  England,  John  Bright,  pro- 
nounced "the  Columbus  of  our  time,  who,  after  no 
less  than  forty  voyages  across  the  Atlantic  in  pursuit 
of  the  great  aim  of  his  life,  had  at  length  by  his  cable 
moored  the  New  "World  close  alongside  the  Old." 
How  the  miracle  was  wrought,  it  is  the  design  of  these 
pages  to  tell. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  I. 

DlSCOVBRT  OF  THE  NBW  WORLD  BY  COLrSIBDS.  KBLATITX  POSITION 
OF  THE  Two  HEM18PHBRB8.  NEAREST  POINTS — ThB  OUTLTINQ  IS- 
LANDS, Ireland  and  Newfoundland.    Shorter  Route  to  Europk 

8UOOE8TED  BY  BiSHOP  MCLLOCK.  ThB  ElECTRIO  TELEORAPH  COM- 
PANY OF  Newfoundland,  Project  of  Mb.  F.  N.  Oisbornb. 
Failure  of  the  Company Page  1 

CHAPTER  II. 
Mr.  Gisbornb  comes  to  New  York.  Is  introduced  to  Cyrus  W. 
Field,  who  conceives  the  Idea  of  a  Telegraph  across  the  At- 
lantic Ocean.  Is  it  Practicable  ?  Two  Elements  to  be  mastered, 
the  Sea  and  the  Electric  Current.  Letters  of  Lieutenant 
Maury  and  Professor  Morse Page  15 

CHAPTER  III. 

Mb.  Field  enlists  Capitalists  in  the  Enterprise.  Commission  to 
Newfoundland  to  obtain  a  Charter.  The  New  York,  New- 
foundland, AND  London  Telegraph  Company     ....    Page  34 

CHAPTER   IV. 
The  Land-I  :nb  in  Newfoundland.    Four  Hundred  Miles  of  Road 

TO  BE    ;iUILT,   A   WORK  OF    TwO    YEARS.      ATTEMPT  TO  LAY  A  CaBLB 

across  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  in  1855,  fails.  A  Second 
Attempt,  in  1856,  is  successful Page  38 

CHAPTER  V, 

Deep-Sea  Soundings  by  Lieutenant  Berbyman  in  the  Dolphin  in 
1853,  AND  the  Arctic  in  1856,  and  by  Commander  Dayman,  of 
the  British  Navy,  in  the  Cyclops,  in  1857.  The  Bed  of  the 
Atlantic.    The  Tblboraphic  Plateau Page  51 


■I 


vm 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

Mr.  Field  in  London.  The  English  Engineers  and  Electricians. 
Resclt  of  Exferihxnts.  The  Atlantic  Telegraph  Cohpant 
organized.  applies  to  the  government  for  ald.  contract 
FOR  A  Cable Page  09 

CHAPTER  VII. 
Mr.  Field  returns  to  America.    Seeks  Aid  from  the  Government. 
Opposition  in  Congress.    Bill  passed Page  91 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Return  to  England,  The  Niagara— Captain  Hotjson.  The  Aga- 
memnon. Expedition  op  1857  sails  from  Ireland.  Speech  of 
the  Earl  of  Carlisle.    The  Cable  broken Page  112 


CHAPTER  IX. 

Preparations  for  an  Expedition  in  18.58.  Mr.  Field  is  made  the 
General  Manager  of  the  Company.  The  Squadron  assemble  at 
Plymoi  th,  and  put  to  Sea,  June  10.  New  Method  op  laying 
Cable,  beginning  in  Mid-Ocean.  The  Agamemnon  in  Danger  op 
BEING  Foundered.  The  Cable  lost  Three  Times.  The  Ships 
return  to  England.  Meeting  of  the  Directors.  Shall  tuet 
abandon  the  Project  ?    One  Last  Effort Page  142 

CHAPTER  X. 

Second  Expedition  Successful.  Cable  landed  in  Ireland  and 
Newfoundland Page  165 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Great  Excitement  in  America.  Celebration  in  New  York  and 
other  Cities Page  188 

CHAPTER  XII. 

Sudden  Stoppage  of  the  Cable.  Reaction  of  Public  Feeling. 
Suspicions  of  Bad  Faith.    Did  the  Cable  ever  work  ?    Page  213 


CONTENTS. 


ii 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

Attempts  to  revive  the  Company.  The  Government  asked  fob 
Aid,  but  declines  to  give  an  Unconditional  Guarantee.  Fail- 
ure of  the  Red  Sea  Telegraph.  Scientific  Experiments.  Cables 
laid  in  the  Mediterranean  and  the  Persian  Gulf.  Brief  His- 
tory of  the  next  Five  Years    .    .    .    .    ■ Page  229 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

The  Enterprise  renewed.  Improvement  on  the  Old  Cable.  Thb 
Great  Eastern  and  Captain  Anderson.  Expedition  of  1865. 
Twelve  Hundred  Miles  laid  safblt,  when  the  Cable  is 
broken Page  241 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Formation  of  a  New  Company,  the  Anglo-American.  New  Cable 
made  and  shipped  on  board  the  great  eastern      .    .    page  293 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

The  Expedition  of  1866.  Immense  Preparations.  Religious  Ser- 
vice AT  Valentia.  Sailing  of  the  Fleet.  Diart  of  the  Voyage. 
Cable  landed  at  Heart's  Content Page  306 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

Return  to  Mid-Ocean  to  search  for  the  Cable  lost  the  Tear 
BEFORE.    Dragging  in  the  Deep  Sea.    Repeated  Failures.    Cable 

finally  RECOVERED  AND  COMPLETED  TO  NEWFOUNDLAND  .      Page  347 

CHAPTER   XVni. 

The  Afterglow.  Honors  conferred  in  England  and  America. 
Commercial  Revolution  wrought  by  the  Cable.  Mr.  Field 
AND  the  Elevated  Railroads  in  New  York  City.  Tour  round 
THE  World.    Last  Years.    Death  in  1892 Page  376 


-— 


ILLUSTKATIONS 


Cyrus  W.  Field Frontispiece 

The  Deep-Sea  Sounding  Appaeatus Page  55 

The  Bed  of  the  Atlantic "68 

Mr.  Thomas  Brassey Facing  "   245 

Sir  John  Pender "  "    246 

Captain  Sir  James  Anderson "  "    266 

Landing  the  Shore  End  at  Valentia  .    .     .     .      "  "    812 

Lord  Kelvin  (Sir  William  Thomson)    ....      "  "    814 

The  Paying-out  Machinery  on  Deck     ....      "  **    822 

Passing  up  the  Cable  from  the  Tank  .     .    .     .      "  "    327 

Reading  the  Daily  News  received  on  Board    .      "  "    832 

Landing  the  Shore  End  at  Heart's  Content    .      "  "    841 
The  Oreat  Eastern  at  Midnight  when  she  had 

picked  up  the  Cable "  '♦    864 

Watching  for  the  Reply  from  Ireland    ..."  "    866 

Ma.  Field  leaving  the  Great  Eastern    ...      "  "371 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE   BARRIER   OF   THE   SEA. 


When  Columbus  sailed  from  the  shores  of  Spain,  it 
was  not  in  search  of  a  New  "World,  but  only  to  find  a 
nearer  path  to  the  East.  He  sought  a  western  passage 
to  India.  He  had  adopted  a  traditionary  belief  that 
the  earth  was  round ;  but  he  did  not  once  dream  of 
another  continent  than  the  three  which  had  been  the 
ancient  abodes  of  the  human  race — Europe,  Asia,  and 
Africa.  All  the  rest  was  the  great  deep.  The  Floren- 
tine sage  Toscanelli,  from  his  knowledge  of  the  world 
so  far  as  then  discovered,  had  made  a  chart,  on  which 
the  eastern  coast  of  Asia  was  represented  as  lying 
opposite  to  the  western  coast  of  both  Europe  and  Afri- 
ca. Accepting  this  theory,  Columbus  reasoned  that  he 
could  sail  direct  from  Spain  to  India.  No  intervening 
continent  existed  even  in  his  imagination.  Even  after 
he  had  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and  descried  the  green 
woods  of  San  Salvador  rising  out  of  the  western  seas, 
he  thought  he  saw  before  him  one  of  the  islands  of  the 
Asiatic  coast.     Cuba  he  believed  was  a  part  of  the 


2  STORY  OP  TUB  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

mainland  of  India ;  Ilayti  was  tho  Ophir  of  King  Solo- 
mon ;  and  when,  on  a  later  voyage,  ho  came  to  the 
broad  mouth  of  the  Orinoco,  and  saw  it  pouring  its 
mighty  flootl  into  tho  Atlantic,  ho  rejoiced  that  ho  had 
found  tho  great  river  Gihon,  which  had  its  rise  in  the 
garden  of  Eden  !  Even  to  the  hour  of  liis  death,  ho 
remained  ignorant  of  the  real  extent  of  his  magnificent 
discovery.  It  was  reserved  to  later  times  to  lift  the 
curtain  fully  from  the  world  of  waters;  to  reveal  the  true 
magnitude  of  the  globe  ;  and  to  unite  the  distant  hemi- 
spheres by  ties  such  as  tho  great  discoverer  never  knew. 
It  is  hard  to  imagine  the  darkness  and  the  terror 
which  then  hung  over  the  face  of  the  deep.  The  ocean 
to  the  west  was  a  Mare  Tenebrosum — a  Sea  of  Dark- 
ness, into  which  only  the  boldest  voyagers  dared  to 
venture.  Columbus  was  the  most  successful  navigator 
of  his  time.  He  had  made  voyages  to  the  Western 
Islands,  to  Madeira  and  the  Canaries,  to  Iceland  on 
the  north,  and  to  the  Portuguese  settlements  in  Africa. 
But  when  he  c;ar)9  to  cross  the  sea,  he  had  to  grope 
his  way  almost  blindly.  But  a  few  rays  of  knowledge 
glimmered,  like  stars,  on  the  pathless  waters.  When 
he  sailed  on  his  voyage  of  discovery,  he  directed  his 
course,  first  to  the  Canaries,  which  was  a  sort  of  out- 
station  for  the  navigators  of  those  times,  as  the  last 
place  at  which  they  could  take  in  supplies  ;  and  beyond 
which  they  were  venturing  into  unknown  seas.  Here 
he  turned  to  the  west,  though  inclining  southward 


TIIK  lUllllIP:!!  OP  THE  SKA. 


toward  tho  tropics  (for  even  the  great  discovorcM's  of 
that  (hiy,  in  their  seai'ch  for  now  realms  to  conquer, 
were  not  above  tlie  consideration  of  riches  as  well  as 
honor,  and  somehow  associated  gems  and  gold  with 
torrid  climes),  and  bore  away  for  India  ! 

From  this  route  taken  by  the  great  navigator,  he 
crossed  the  ocean  in  its  widest  part.  Had  he,  instead, 
followed  the  track  of  the  Northmen,  who  crept  around 
from  Iceland  to  Greeidand  and  Labrador;  or  had  he 
sailed  straight  to  the  Azores,  and  then  borne  away  to 
the  north-west,  he  would  much  sooner  have  descried 
laml  from  the  mast-head.  But  steering  in  darkness,  he 
crossed  the  Atlantic  whure  it  is  broadest  and  deepest  / 
where,  as  submarine  explorers  have  since  shown,  it 
I'olls  over  mountains,  lofty  as  the  Alps  and  the  Ilim- 
alavas,  which  lie  buried  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
deep.  But  farther  north  the  two  continents,  so  widely 
sundered,  incline  toward  each  other,  as  if  inviting  that 
closer  relation  and  freer  intercourse  which  the  fulness 
of  time  was  to  bring. 

As  the  island  of  Newfoundland  is  to  stand  in  the 
foreground  of  our  story,  we  observe  on  the  map  its 
salient  geographical  position.  It  holds  the  same  rela- 
tion to  America  that  Ireland  does  to  Europe.  Stretch- 
ing far  out  into  the  Atlantic,  it  is  the  vanguard  of  the 
western  continent,  or  rather  the  signal-tower  from 
which  the  New  AVorld  may  speak  to  the  Old. 

And  yet,  though  large  as  England,  and  so  near  our 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


,  P  ; 


1 


coast,  few  Ameriauis  ever  see  it,  as  it  lies  out  of  the 
track  of  European  commerce.  Our  ships,  though  they 
skirt  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland,  pass  to  ^,he  south', 
and  get  but  occasional  glimpses  of  the  headlands. 
Even  what  is  seen  gives  the  country  rather  an  ill  repu- 
tation. It  has  a  rockbound  coast,  around  which  hang 
perpetual  fogs  and  mists,  through  which  great  icebergs 
drift  slowly  down,  Uke  huge  phantoms  of  the  deep, 
gliding  away  to  be  dissolved  by  the  warm  breath  of 
the  Gulf  Stream  :  dangers  that  warn  the  voyager  away 
from  such  a  sea  and  shore. 

Sailing  west  from  Cape  Race,  and  making  the  cir- 
cuit of  the  island  as  far  as  the  Straits  of  Belle  Isle, 
one  is  often  reminded  of  the  most  northern  peninsula 
of  Europe.  The  rocky  shores  are  indented  with 
numerous  bays,  reaching  far  up  into  the  land,  like  the 
fiords  along  the  coast  of  Norway  ;  while  the  large 
herds  of  Caribou  deer,  that  are  seen  feeding  on  the 
hills,  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  the  flocks  of  rein- 
deer that  browse  on  the  pastures  and  drink  of  the 
mountain  torrents  of  ancient  Scandinavia. 

The  interior  of  the  island  is  little  known.  Not  only 
is  it  uninhabited,  it  is  almost  unexplored,  a  boundless 
waste  of  rock  and  moor,  where  vast  forests  stretch 
out  their  unbroken  solitudes,  and  the  wild  bird  utte.3 
its  lonely  cry.  Bears  and  wolves  roam  on  the  moun- 
tains. Especially  common  is  the  large  and  fierce  black 
wolf ;  while  of  the  smaller  animals,  whose  skins  furnish 


?! 


THE  BARRIER  OF  THE  SEA.  6 

material  for  the  fur-trade,  such  as  martins  and  foxes, 
there  is  the  greatest  abundance.  But  from  all  pests 
of  the  serpent  tribe,  Newfoundland  is  as  free  as  Ireland, 
which  was  delivered  by  the  prayers  of  St.  Patrick. 
There  is  not  a  snake  or  a  frog  or  a  toad  in  the  island  ! 

Yet,  even  in  this  ruggedness  of  nature,  there  is  a 
wild  beauty,  which  only  needs  to  be  "  clothed  upon  " 
by  the  hand  of  man.  Newfoundland,  in  many  of  its 
features,  is  not  unlike  Scotland,  even  in  its  most  deso- 
late portions,  where  the  rocky  surface  of  the  country, 
covered  with  thick  moss,  reminds  the  emigrant  Scot 
of  the  heather  on  his  native  moors.  In  the  interior 
are  lakes  as  long  as  Loch  Lomond,  and  mountains  as 
lofty  as  Ben  Lomond  and  Ben  Nevis.  There  are 
passes  as  wild  as  the  Vale  of  Glencoe,  where  one 
might  feel  that  he  is  in  the  heart  of  the  Highlands, 
while  the  roar  of  the  torrents  yet  more  vividly  recalls 
the 

Land  of  the  brown  heatli  and  shaggy  wood, 
Land  of  the  mountain  and  the  flood. 


Yet  in  all  this  there  is  nothing  to  repel  human  habita- 
tion. By  the  hand  of  industry,  these  wild  moors  might 
be  transformed  into  fruitful  fields.  We  think  it  a  very 
cold  country,  where  winter  reigns  over  half  the  j'ear, 
as  in  Greenland  ;  yet  it  is  not  so  far  north  as  Scotland, 
nor  is  its  climate  more  inhospitable.  It  only  needs  the 
same  population,  the  same  hardy  toil ;  and  the  same 


6 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


verdure  would  creep  up  its  hill-sides,  which  now  makes 
green  and  beautiful  the  loneliest  of  Scottish  glens. 

But  at  present  the  country  is  a  terra  incognita.  In 
the  interior  there  are  no  towns  and  no  roads.  As  yet 
almost  the  whole  wealth  of  the  island  is  drawn  from 
the  sea.  Its  chief  trade  is  its  fisheries,  and  the  only 
places  of  importance  are  a  few  small  towns,  chiefly  on 
the  eastern  side,  which  have  grown  up  around  the 
trading  posts.  Besides  these,  the  only  settlements  are 
the  fishermen's  huts  scattered  along  the  coast.  Hence 
the  bishop  of  the  island,  when  he  would  make  his 
annual  visit  to  his  scattered  flock,  is  obliged  to  sail 
around  his  diocese  in  his  vacht,  since  even  on  horse- 
back  it  would  not  be  possible  to  make  his  way 
through  the  dense  forests  to  the  remote  parts  of  the 
island.  This  first  suggested  the  idea  of  cutting  across 
the  island  a  nearer  way,  not  only  for  internal  inter- 
course, but  for  those  who  were  passing  to  and  fro  on 
the  sea. 

It  was  in  one  of  these  excursions  around  the  coast 
that  the  good  Bishop  Mullock,  the  head  of  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church  in  Newfoundland,  when  visiting  the 
western  portion  of  his  diocese,  lying  one  day  becalmed 
in  his  yacht,  in  sight  of  Cape  North,  the  extreme  point 
of  the  province  of  Cape  Breton,  bethought  himself  how 
his  poor  neglected  island  might  be  benefited  by  being 
taken  into  the  track  of  communication  between  Europe 
and  America.     He  saw  how  nature  had  provided  an 


THE  BARRIER  OF  THE  SEA.  7 

easy  approach  to  the  mainland  on  the  west.  About 
sixty  miles  from  Cape  Ray  stretched  the  long  island  of 
Cape  Breton,  while,  as  a  stepping-stone,  the  little  island 
of  St.  Paul's  lay  between.  So  much  did  it  weigh  upon 
his  mind  that,  as  soon  as  he  got  back  to  St.  John's,  he 
wrote  a  letter  to  one  of  the  papers  on  the  subject.  As 
this  was  the  lii-st  suggestion  of  n  telegraph  across  New- 
foundland, his  letter  is  here  given  in  full : 

To  the  Editor  of  the  Courier : 

Sir  :  I  regret  to  find  that,  in  every  plan  for  transatlantic 
communication,  Halifax  is  always  mentioned,  and  the 
natural  capabilities  of  Newfoundland  entirely  overlooked. 
This  has  been  deeply  impressed  on  my  mind  by  the  commu- 
nication I  read  in  your  paper  of  Saturday  last,  regardino" 
telegraphic  communication  between  England  and  Ireland, 
in  which  it  is  said  that  the  nearest  telegraphic  station  on  the 
American  side  is  Halifax,  twenty-one  hundred  and  fifty-five 
miles  from  the  west  of  Ireland.  Now  would  it  not  be  well 
to  call  the  attention  of  England  and  America  to  the  extraor- 
dinary capabilities  of  St.  Jolin's,  as  the  nearest  telegrapluc 
point  ?  It  is  an  Atlantic  port,  lying,  I  may  say,  in  the  track 
of  the  ocean  steamers,  and  by  establishing  it  as  tlie  American 
telegrapliic  station,  news  could  be  communicated  to  the  whole 
American  continent  forty-eight  hours,  at  least,  sooner  than 
by  any  other  route.  But  how  will  this  be  accomplished  i 
Just  look  at  the  maj)  of  jSewfoundland  and  Cape  Breton. 
From  St.  John's  to  Cape  Ray  tliere  is  no  difficulty  in  estab- 
lishing a  line  passing  near  Holy-Rood  along  the  neck  of 
land  connecting  Trinity  and  Placentia  Bays,  and  thence  in  a 
direction  due  west  to  the  Cape.     You  have  then  about  forty- 


T 


8 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


one  to  forty-five  miles  of  sea  to  St.  Paul's  Island,  with  deep 
soundings  of  one  hundred  fatlioms,  so  that  the  electric  cable 
will  be  perfectly  safe  from  icebergs.  Thence  to  Cape  North, 
in  Cape  Breton,  is  little  more  than  twelve  miles.  Thus  it  is 
not  only  practicable  to  bring  America  two  days  nearer  to 
Europe  by  this  route,  but  should  the  telegraphic  communi- 
cation between  England  and  Ireland,  sixty-two  miles,  be 
realized,  it  presents  not  the  least  difficulty.  Of  course,  we 
in  Newfoundland  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  erection, 
working,  and  maintenance  of  the  telegraph  ;  but  I  suppose 
our  Government  will  give  every  facility  to  the  company, 
either  English  or  American,  who  will  undertake  it,  as  it  will 
be  an  incalculable  advantage  to  this  country.  I  hope  the 
day  is  not  far  distant  when  St.  John's  will  be  the  first  link 
in  the  electric  chain  which  will  unite  the  Old  World  and 
the  New.  J.  T.  M. 

St.  John's,  November  8,  1850. 


This  suggestion  came  at  the  right  moment,  since  it 
quickened,  if  it  did  not  originate,  the  first  attempt  to 
link  the  island  of  Newfoundland  with  the  mainland  of 
America.  For  about  the  same  time,  the  attention  of 
Mr.  Frederick  N.  Gisborne,  a  telegraph  operator,  was 
attracted  to  a  similar  project.  Being  a  man  of  great 
quickness  of  mind,  he  instantly  saw  the  importance  of 
such  a  Avork,  and  took  hold  of  it  Avith  enthusiasm.  It 
might  easily  occur  to  him  without  suggestion  from  any 
source.  He  had  had  much  experience  in  telegraphs, 
and  was  then  engaged  in  constructing  a  telegraph  line 
in  Nova  Scotia.     Whether,  therefore,  the  idea  was  first 


THE  BAKRIER  OF  THE  SEA. 


9 


with  him  or  with  the  bishop,  is  of  little  consequence. 
It  might  occur  at  the  same  time  to  two  intelligent 
minds,  and  show  the  sagacity  of  both. 

But  having  taken  hold  of  this  idea,  Mr.  Gisborne 
pursued  it  with  indomitable  resolution.  As  the  labors 
of  this  gentleman  were  most  important  in  the  begin- 
ning of  this  work,  it  is  a  pleasure  to  recognize  his  un- 
tiring zeal  and  energy.  In  assurance  of  this  we  could 
have  no  higher  authority  than  the  following  from  the 
late  Mr.  E.  M.  Archibald,  who  was  at  the  time  Attor- 
ney-General of  Newfoundland,  and  afterwards  for 
many  years  British  Consul  at  New  York  : 


e  it 
,  to 

I  of 

of 

vas 

' 

eat 

\^ 

of 

1 1 

It 

1 

"It  was  during  the  winter  of  1849-50,  that  Mr.  Gisborne, 
who  had  been,  as  an  engineer,  engaged  in  extending  the 
electric  telegraph  thi'ough  Lower  Canada  and  New  Bruns- 
wick to  Halifax,  Nova  Scotia,  conceived  the  project  of  a 
telegraph  to  connect  St.  John's,  the  most  easterly  port  of 
America,  with  the  main  continent.  The  importance  of  the 
geographical  position  of  Newfoundland,  in  the  event  of  a 
telegraph  ever  being  curried  across  the  Atlantic,  was  about 
the  same  time  promulgated  by  Dr.  Mullock,  the  Roman 
Catholic  Bishop  of  Newfoundland,  in  a  St.  John's  newspaper. 

"In  the  spring  of  the  following  year  (1851),  Mr.  Gisborne 
visited  Newfoundland,  appeared  before  the  Legislature,  then 
in  session,  and  explained  the  details  of  his  plan,  which  was 
an  overland  line  from  St.  John's  to  Cape  Ray,  nearly  four 
hundred  miles  in  length,  and  (the  submarine  cable  between 
Dover  and  Calais  not  having  then  been  laid)  a  comnmnica- 
tion  between  Cape  Ray  and  Cape  Breton  by  steamer  aiid 


10 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


carrier-pigeons,  eventually,  it  was  hoped,  by  a  submarine 
cable  across  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence.  The  Legislature  en- 
couraged the  project,  granted  £500  sterling  to  enable  Mr. 
Gisborne  to  make  an  exploratory  survey  of  the  proposed 
line  to  Cape  Ray,  and  passed  an  act  authorizing  its  construc- 
tion, with  certain  privileges,  and  the  appointment  of  com- 
missioners for  the  purpose  of  carrying  it  out.  Upon  this, 
Mr.  Gisborne,  who  was  then  the  chief  officer  of  the  Nova 
Scotia  Telegraph  Company,  returned  to  that  province,  re- 
signed his  situation,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  project  of 
the  Newfoundland  telegraph.  Having  organized  a  local 
company  for  the  purpose  of  constructing  the  first  telegraph 
line  in  the  island,  from  St.  John's  to  Carbonear,  a  distance 
of  sixty  miles,  he,  on  the  fourth  of  September,  set  out  upon 
the  arduous  expedition  of  a  survey  of  the  proposed  line  to 
Cape  Ray,  which  occupied  upward  of  three  months,  during 
which  time  himself  and  his  party  suffered  severe  privations, 
and  narrowly  escaped  starvation,  having  to  traverse  the 
most  rugged  and  hitherto  unexplored  part  of  the  island.* 
On  his  return,  having  reported  to  the  Legislature  favorably 
of  the  project,  and  furnished  estimates  of  the  cost,  he  deter- 
mined to  proceed  to  New  York,  to  obtain  assistance  to  carry 
it  out.  .  .  .  Mr.  Gisborne  returned  to  St.  John's  in  the 
spring  of  1852,  when,  at  his  instance,  an  act,  incorporating 
himself  (his  being  the  only  name  mentioned  in  it)  and  such 
others  as  might  become  shareholders  in  a  company,  to  be 

*  "  On  the  fourth  day  of  December,  I  accomplished  the  survey  through 
three  hundred  and  fifty  miles  of  wood  and  wilderness.  It  was  an  ardu- 
ous undertaking.  My  original  party,  consisting  of  six  white  men,  were 
exchanged  for  four  Indians  ;  of  the  latter  party,  two  deserted,  one  died 
a  few  days  after  my  return,  and  the  other,  '  Joe  Paul,'  has  ever  since 
proclaimed  himself  an  ailing  man." — Letter  of  Mr.  Oi-nbome. 


1 


THE  BAUUIEll  OF  THE  SEA. 


11 


called  the  Newfouiullaiid  Electric  Telegraph  Company,  was 
passed,  granting  an  exclusive  right  to  erect  telegraphs  in 
Newfoundland  for  thirty  years,  with  certain  concessions  of 
land,  by  way  of  encouragement,  to  be  granted  upon  the 
completion  of  the  telegraph  from  St.  John's  to  Cape  Ray, 
Mr.  Gisborne  then  returned  to  New  York,  where  lie  organ- 
ized, under  this  charter,  a  company,  of  which  Mr.  Tebbets 
and  Mr.  Holbrook*  were  prominent  members,  made  his 
financial  arrangements  with  them,  and  proceeded  to  Eng- 
land to  contract  for  the  cable  from  Cape  Ray  to  Prince  Ed- 
ward Island,  and  from  thence  to  the  mainland.  Returning 
in  the  autumn,  he  proceeded  in  a  small  steamer,  in  November 
of  that  year,  1852,  to  stretch  the  first  submarine  cable,  of  any 
length,  in  America,  across  the  Northumberland  Strait  from 
Prince  Edwai-d  Island  to  New  Brunswick,  which  cable,  how- 
ever, was  shortly  afterward  broken,  and  a  new  one  was  sub- 
sequently laid  down  by  the  New  York,  Newfoundland,  and 
London  Telegraph  Company.  In  the  spring  of  the  follow- 
ing year,  1853,  Mr.  Gisborne  set  vigorously  to  work  to  com- 
plete his  favorite  project  of  the  line  (whicli  he  intended 
should  be  chiefly  underground)  from  St.  John's  to  Cape  Ray. 
He  had  constructed  some  thirty  or  forty  miles  of  road,  and 
was  proceeding  with  every  prospect  of  success,  when,  most 
unexpectedly,  those  of  the  company  who  were  to  furnish  the 
needful  funds  dishonored  his  bills,  and  brought  his  operations 
to  a  sudden  termination.  He  and  the  creditors  of  the  com- 
pany were  for  several  months  biu)ved  up  with  promises  of 
forthcoming  means  from  his  New  York  allies,  which  prom- 
ises were  finally  entirely  unfulfilled  ;  and  Gisborne,  being 
the  only  ostensible  pai'ty,  was  sued  and  prosecuted  on  all 


*  Horace  B.  Tehbets  .and  Darius  B.  Holbrook. 


12 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


I 


\  I 


)l 


I 
i 


sides,  stripped  of  his  whole  property,  and  himself  arrested 
to  answer  the  claims  of  the  creditors  of  the  company.  He 
cheerfully  and  honorably  gave  up  every  thing  he  possessed, 
and  did  his  utmost  to  relieve  the  severe  distress  in  which  the 
poor  laborers  on  the  line  had  been  involved." 

This  is  a  testimony  most  honorable  to  the  engineer 
who  first  led  the  way  through  a  pathless  wilderness. 
But  this  Newfoundland  scheme  is  not  to  be  confounded 
with  that  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph,  which  did  not 
come  into  existence  until  a  year  or  two  later.  The 
latter  Avas  not  at  all  included  in  the  former.  Indeed, 
Mr.  Gisborne  himself  says,  in  a  letter  referring  to  his 
original  project :  "  My  plans  were  to  run  a  subterra- 
nean line  from  Cape  Race  to  Cape  Ray,  fly  carrier- 
pigeons  and  run  boats  across  the  Straits  of  Northum- 
berland to  Cape  Breton,  and  thenc6  by  overland  lines 
convey  the  news  to  New  York."  He  adds  however : 
"  Meanwhile  Mr.  Brett's  experimental  cable  between 
Dover  and  Calais  having  proved  successful,  I  set  forth 
in  my  report,  [which  appeared  a  year  after  his  first 
proposal],  that  '  carrier-pigeons  and  boats  would  be 
required  only  until  such  time  as  the  experiments  then 
making  in  England  with  submarine  cables  should  war- 
rant a  similar  attempt  between  Cape  Ray  and  Cape 
Breton.' "  But  nowhere  in  his  report  does  he  allude 
to  the  possibility  of  ever  spanning  the  mighty  gulf 
of  the  Atlantic. 

But  several  years  after,  when  the  temporary  success 


sisdK, 


l^n 


THE  BARRIER  OF  THE  SEA. 


13 


of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  gave  a  name  to  everybody 
connected  with  it,  lie  or  his  friends  seemed  not  unwill- 
ing to  have  it  supposed  that  this  was  embraced  in  the 
original  scheme.  When  asked  why  he  did  not  publisii 
his  large  tlosign  to  the  world,  ho  answered  :  "  Because 
I  was  looked  upon  as  a  wild  visionary  by  my  friends, 
and  pronounced  a  fool  by  my  relatives  for  resigning  a 
lucrative  government  appointment  in  favor  of  such  a 
laborious  speculation  as  the  Newfoundland  connection. 
Now  had  I  coupled  it  at  that  time  with  an  Atlantic 
line,  all  confidence  in  the  prior  undertaking  would 
have  been  destroyed,  and  ray  object  defeated."  This 
may  have  been  a  reason  for  not  announcing  such  a 
project  to  the  public,  but  not  for  withholding  it  from 
his  friends.  A  man  can  hardly  lay  claim  to  that 
which  he  holds  in  such  absolute  reserve. 

However,  whether  he  ever  entertained  the  idea  of 
such  a  project,  is  not  a  matter  of  the  slightest  conse- 
quence to  the  public,  nor  even  to  his  own  reputation. 
Ten  years  before  Professor  Morse  had  expressed,  not 
a  dreamer's  fancy,  but  a  deliberate  conviction,  founded 
on  scientific  experiments,  that  "  a  telegraphic  com- 
munication might  with  certainty  be  established  across 
the  Atlantic  Ocean  ; "  so  that  the  idea  was  not  original 
with  Mr.  Gisborne,  any  more  than  with  others  who 
were  eager  to  appropriate  it. 

It  is  a  part  of  the  history  of  great  enterprises, 
that  the  moment  one  succeeds,  a  host  spring  up  to 


r' 


I 


i 


I 


''I 


iil- 


14 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH 


claim  the  honor.  Thus  when,  in  1858,  the  Atlantic 
Telogi'uph  seemed  to  be  a  success,  the  public,  knowing 
well  who  had  borne  the  brunt  and  burden  of  the 
undertaking,  awarded  him  the  praise  which  he  so  well 
deserved  ;  but  instantly  there  were  other  Kichmonds 
in  the  field.  Those  who  had  had  no  part  in  the  labor, 
at  least  claimed  to  have  originated  the  idea !  Of 
course,  these  many  claims  destroy  each  other.  But 
after  all,  to  raise  such  a  point  at  all  is  the  merest 
trifling.  The  question  is  not  who  first  had  the  "  idea," 
but  who  took  hold  of  the  enterprise  as  a  practical 
thing ;  who  grappled  with  the  gigantic  difficulties 
of  the  undertaking,  and  fought  the  battle  through  to 
victory. 

As  to  Mr.  Gisborne,  his  activity  in  the  beginning  of 
the  Newfoundland  telegraph  is  a  matter  of  history. 
In  that  preliminary  work,  he  bore  an  honorable  part, 
and  acquired  a  title  to  respect,  of  which  he  cannot  be 
deprived.  All  honor  to  him  for  his  enterprise,  his 
courage,  and  his  pereeverance ! 

But  for  the  company  of  which  he  was  the  father, 
Avhich  he  had  got  up  with  so  much  toil,  it  lived  but  a 
few  months,  when  it  became  involved  in  debt  some 
fifty  thousand  dollars,  chiefly  to  laborers  on  the  line, 
and  ended  its  existence  by  an  ignominious  failure. 
The  concern  was  bankrupt,  and  it  was  plain  that,  if 
the  work  was  not  to  be  finally  abandoned,  it  must  be 
taken  up  by  stronger  hands. 


CHAPTER  II. 

CAN    THE   OCEAN    BE    SPANNED? 

Mr.  Gisborne  left  Halifax  and  came  to  New  York 
in  January,  1854.  Here  he  took  counsel  with  his 
friend  Tebbets  and  others  ;  but  they  could  give  hira  no 
relief.  It  was  while  in  this  state  of  suspense  that  he 
met,  at  the  Astor  House,  Mr.  Matthew  D.  Field,  an 
engineer  who  had  been  engaged  in  building  railroads 
and  suspension  bridges  at  the  South  and  West.  Mr. 
Field  listened  to  his  story  with  interest,  and  engaged 
to  speak  of  it  to  his  brother,  Cyrus  W.  Field,*  a  mer- 
chant of  New  York,  who  had  retired  from  business 
the  year  before,  and  had  spent  six  months  in  travelling 
over  the  mountains  of  South  America,  from  which  he 
liad  lately  returned.  Accordingly,  he  introduced  the 
subject,  but  found  his  brother  disinclined  to  embark  in 
any  new  undertaking.  Though  still  a  young  man,  his 
life  had  been  for  many  years  one  of  incessant  devotion 
to  business.     He  had  accumulated  an  ample  fortune, 


♦  Born  November  30,  1819,  In  Stockbridge,  Massachusetts,  the  son 
of  a  Congregational  minister,  of  whom  three  sons  ore  still  living :  Mr. 
David  Dudley  Field,  of  New  York  ;  Mr.  Justice  Stephen  J.  Field,  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States;  and  the  welter  of  the  present  volume. 


r 


hi 
1^ 


Hi 


16 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEORAPH. 


and  was  not  disposed  to  renew  the  cares,  the  anxieties, 
and  the  fatigues  of  his  former  lift  But  listening  to 
the  details  of  a  scheme  wliicii  had  in  it  much  to  excite 
interest,  and  which  by  its  very  difficulty  stimulated  tiie 
spirit  of  enterprise,  he  at  length  consented  to  see  Mr. 
Gisborne,  and  invited  him  to  his  house.  Accordingly 
he  came,  and  spent  an  evening  describing  the  route  of 
his  prop<jsed  telegraph,  and  the  points  it  was  to  con- 
nect. After  he  left,  Mr.  Field  took  the  globe  which 
was  standing  in  tlio  library,  and  l)ogan  to  turn  it  over. 
It  was  ^oh'de  thus  stndi/'nuj  the  (jlohe  that  the  idea  first 
OGGnrred  to  him,  that  the  telegraph  might  he  carried  fur- 
ther still,  and  he  made  to  span  the  Atlantia  Ocean, 
The  idea  was  not  original  with  him,  though  he  was  to 
carry  it  out.  It  was  indeed  new  to  him ;  but  it  had 
long  been  a  matter  of  speculation  with  scientific  minds, 
though  their  theories  had  never  attracted  his  attention. 
But  once  he  had  grasped  the  idea,  it  took  strong  hold 
of  his  imagination.  Had  the  Newfoundland  scheme 
stood  alone,  he  would  never  have  undertaken  it.  He 
cared  little  about  shortening  communication  with  Eu- 
rope by  a  day  or  two,  by  relays  of  boats  and  carrier- 
pigeons.  But  it  was  the  hope  of  further  and  grander 
results  that  inspired  him  to  enter  on  a  work  of  which 
no  man  could  foresee  the  end. 

An  enterprise  of  such  proportions,  that  would  task 
to  the  utmost  the  science  and  the  engineering  skill 
of  the  world,  was  not  to  be  rashly  undertaken;  and 


CAN  THE  OCKAN  HE  SPANNED  ? 


If 


before  giving  u  definite  reply  to  Gisborne,  Mr.  Field 
determinocl  to  apply  to  the  highest  authorities  in  his 
own  country. 

The  project  of  an  Atlantic  telegraph  involved  tu'o 
})robleius  :  Could  a  cable  be  sti-etched  across  the  ocean  ? 
and  if  it  were,  would  it  be  good  for  anything  to  con- 
vey messages  ?  The  first  was  a  question  of  mechani- 
cal ditHculties,  requiring  a  careful  survey  of  the  ocean 
itself,  fathoming  its  depth,  finding  out  the  character  of 
its  bottom,  whether  level,  or  rough  and  volcanic;  and 
all  the  obstacles  that  might  be  found  in  the  winds  that 
agitato  the  surface  above,  or  the  mighty  currents  that 
sweep  through  the  waters  below.  The  second  problem 
was  purely  scientific,  involving  questions  as  to  the  laws 
of  electricity,  not  then  fully  understood,  and  on  which 
the  boldest  might  feel  that  he  was  venturing  on  uncer- 
tain ground. 

Such  were  the  two  elements  or  forces  of  nature  to 
be  encountered — the  ocean  and  the  electric  current. 
Could  they  be  controlled  by  any  power  of  man  ? 
The  very  proposal  was  enough  to  stagger  the  faith 
even  of  an  enthusiast.  Who  could  lay  a  bridle  on 
the  neck  of  the  sea  ^  The  attempt  seemed  as  idle 
as  that  of  Xerxes  to  bind  it  with  chains.  Was  it 
possible  to  combat  the  fierceness  of  the  wimls  and 
waves,  and  to  stretch  one  long  line  from  continent  to 
continent?  And  then,  after  the  work  was  achieved, 
would  the  lightning  run  along  the  ocean-bed  from 


■aMHMHHHMH 


%tt 


I 


18 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


shore  to  shore?  Such  were  the  questions  which  liad 
puzzled  many  an  anxious  brain,  and  which  now  trou- 
bled the  one  who  was  to  undertake  the  work. 

To  get  some  light  in  his  perplexity,  Mr.  P'ield,  the 
very  next  morning  after  his  interview  with  Gisborne, 
wrote  two  letters,  one  to  Lieutenant  Maury,  then  at  the 
head  of  the  National  Observatory  at  Washington,  on 
the  nautical  difficulties  of  the  undertaking,  asking  if 
the  sea  were  itself  a  barrier  too  great  to  be  overcome  ; 
and  the  other  to  Professor  Morse,  inquiring  if  it  would 
be  possible  to  telegraph  over  a  distance  so  great  as  that 
from  Europe  to  America? 

The  mail  soon  brought  an  answer  from  Lieutenant 
Maury,  which  began :  "  Singularly  enough,  just  as  I 
received  your  letter,  I  was  closing  one  to  the  Secretary 
of  the  Navy  on  the  same  subject."  A  copy  of  this  he 
inclosed  to  Mr.  Field,  and  it  is  given  here.  It  shows 
the  conclusions  at  which,  even  at  that  early  day,  scien- 
tific men  were  beginning  to  arrive : 


"  National  Observatory, 
WAsmNGTON,  February  22,  1854 


:\ 


"Sir  :  The  United  States  brig'  Dolphin,  Lieutenant  Com- 
manding O.  H.  Berryman,  was  employed  last  summer  upon 
especial  service  connected  with  tlie  researches  that  are  car- 
ried on  at  this  office  concerniii<?  the  winds  and  currents  of 
the  sea.  Her  observations  were  confined  principally  to  that 
part  of  tlie  ocean  wliicli  the  merchantmen,  as  they  pass  to 
and  fro  upon  the  business  of  trade  between  Europe  and  the 


CAN  THE  OCEAN  BE  SPANNED  ? 


19 


United  States,  use  as  their  great  tliorouglifare.  Lieutenant 
Berryman  availed  himself  of  this  opportunity  to  carry  along 
also  a  line  of  deep-sea  soundings,  from  the  shores  of  New- 
foundland to  those  of  Ireland.  The  result  is  highly  interest- 
ing, in  so  far  as  the  bottom  of  the  sea  is  concerned,  upon  the 
(juestion  of  a  submarine  telegraph  across  the  Atlantic;  and  I 
therefore  beg  leave  to  make  it  the  subject  of  a  special  report. 
"  Tliis  line  of  deep-sea  soundings  seems  to  be  decisive  of 
the  question  of  the  practicability  of  a  submarine  telegraph 
b(>';  .veen  the  two  continents,  in  so  far  as  the  bottom  of  the 
deep  sea  is  concerned.  From  Newfoundland  to  Ireland,  the 
distance  between  the  nearest  points  is  about  sixteen  hundred 
miles  ;  *  and  the  bottom  of  the  sea  between  the  two  places  is 
a  plateau,  which  seems  to  have  been  placed  there  especially 
for  the  purpose  of  holding  the  wires  of  a  submarine  tele- 
graph, and  of  keeping  them  out  of  harm's  way.  It  is  neither 
too  deep  nor  too  shallow  ;  3'et  it  is  so  deep  that  the  wires  but 
once  landed,  will  remain  for  ever  beyond  the  reach  of  ves- 
sels' ancliors,  icebergs,  and  drifts  of  anj'  kind,  and  so  shal- 
low, that  the  wires  may  be  readily  lodged  upon  the  bottom. 
The  depth  of  this  plateau  is  quite  regular,  gradually  increas- 
ing from  the  shores  of  Newfoundland  to  the  depth  of  from 
fifteen  hundred  to  two  thousand  fathoms,  as  you  approach 
the  other  side.  The  distance  between  Ireland  and  Cape  St. 
Charles,  or  Cape  St.  Lewis,  in  Labrador,  is  somewhat  less 
than  the  distance  from  any  point  of  Ireland  to  the  nearest 
point  of  Newfoundland.  But  whether  it  would  be  better  to 
lead  the  wires  from  Newfoundland  or  Labrador  is  not  r-nv 


*  From  Cape  Frc-els,  NewfouiKlland,  to  Erris  Head,  Ireland,  the  dis- 
tance is  sixteen  hundred  mid  eleven  miles  :  from  Ciipe  Charles,  or  Cape 
St.  Lewis,  Labrador,  to  the  same  point,  the  distance  is  sixteen  hundred 
and  one  miles. 


20 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


f 


the  question  ;  nor  do  I  pretend  to  consider  the  question  as  to 
the  possibility  of  finding  a  time  calm  enough,  the  sea  smooth 
enough,  a  wire  long  enough,  a  ship  big  enough,  to  lay  a  coil 
of  wire  sixteen  hundred  miles  in  length ;  though  I  have  no 
fear  but  that  the  enterprise  and  ingenuity  of  the  age,  when- 
ever called  on  with  these  problems,  will  be  ready  with  a  sat- 
isfactory and  practical  solution  of  them. 

"  I  simply  addre.ss  myself  at  this  time  to  the  question  in  so 
far  as  the  bottom  of  the  sea  is  concerned,  and  as  far  as  that, 
the  greatest  practical  difficulties  will,  I  apprehend,  be  found 
after  reaching  soundings  at  either  end  of  the  line,  and  not  in 
the  deep  sea.     .     .     . 

' '  A  wire  laid  across  from  either  of  the  above-n.ained  places 
on  this  side  will  pass  to  the  north  of  the  Grand  Banks, 
and  rest  on  that  beautiful  plateau  to  which  I  have  alluded, 
where  the  waters  of  the  sea  appear  to  be  as  quiet  and  as 
completely  at  rest  as  at  the  bottom  of  a  mill-pond.  It  is 
proper  that  the  reasons  should  be  stated  for  the  inference 
that  there  are  no  perceptible  currents,  and  no  abrading 
agents  at  work  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  upon  this  telegraphic 
plateau.  I  derive  this  inference  from  a  study  of  a  physi- 
cal fact,  which  I  little  deemed,  wheu  I  sought  it,  had  any 
such  bearings. 

"  Lieutenant  Berry  man  brought  up  with  Brooke's  deep- 
sea  sounding  apparatus  specimens  of  the  bottom  from  this 
plateau.  I  sent  them  to  Professor  Bailey,  of  West  Point,  for 
examitiation  under  his  microscope.  This  he  kindly  gave, 
and  that  eminent  microscopist  was  quite  as  much  surprised 
to  find,  as  I  was  to  learn,  that  all  those  specimens  of  deep-sea 
soundings  are  filled  with  microscopic  shells ;  to  use  his  own 
words,  not  a  particle  of  sand  or  gravel  exists  in  them. 
These  little  shells,  therefore,  suggest  the  fact  that  there  are 


Ifp 


iii 


: 


CAN  THE  OCEAN  BE  SPANNED? 


21 


im 


110  currents  at  tlie  bottom  of  the  sea  wlieuce  they  came;  that 
Brooke's  lead  found  them  where  thej'  were  deposited  in  their 
burial-place  after  having  lived  and  died  on  the  surface,  and 
by  gradually  sinking  were  lodged  on  the  bottom.  Had  tliere 
been  currents  at  the  bottom,  these  would  have  swept  and 
abraded  and  mingled  up  with  these  microscopic  remains  the 
debris  of  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  such  as  ooze,  sand,  gravel, 
and  other  matter;  but  not  a  ])article  of  sand  or  gravel  was 
found  among  them.  Hence  the  inference  that  these  dejiths 
of  the  sea  are  not  disturbed  either  by  waves  or  currents. 
Consequently,  a  telegraphic  wire  once  laid  there,  there  it 
would  remain,  as  completely  beyond  the  reach  of  accident 
as  it  would  be  if  buried  ia  air-tight  cases.  Therefore,  so  far 
as  the  bottom  of  tl\e  deep  sea  between  Newfoundland,  or  the 
North  Cape,  at  the  moutli  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  Ireland, 
is  concerned,  the  practicability  of  a  submarine  telegraph 
across  tlie  Atlantic  is  proved.     .     .     . 

"  In  this  view  of  the  subject,  and  for  the  purpose  of  has- 
tening the  completion  of  such  a  line,  I  take  the  liberty  of 
suggesting  for  your  consideration  the  propriety  of  an  offer 
from  the  proper  source,  of  a  prize  to  the  company  through 
whose  telegraphic  wire  the  first  message  shall  be  passed 
across  the  Atlantic. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be  respectfully  yours, 

"M.  F.  Maury, 
'  *  Lieutenant  United  States  Navy. 
"  Hon.  J.  C.  Dobbin,  Secretary  of  the  Navy." 

Tlie  reply  of  Professor  Morse  showed  equal  interest 
in  the  subject,  in  proof  of  which  he  wrote  that  li(3 
would  come  down  to  New  York  to  see  Mr.  Field  about 
it.    A  few  days  after  he  came,  and  saw  Mr.  Field  at 


^m 


2^ 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPn, 


11 


his  house.  This  was  the  beginning  of  an  acquaintance 
which  soon  ripened  into  friendship,  and  which  hence- 
forth united  these  gentlemen  together  in  this  great 
achievement.  Professor  Morse,  in  conversation,  entered 
at  length  into  the  laws  of  electricity  as  applied  to 
the  business  of  telegraphing,  and  concluded  by  declar- 
ing his  entire  faith  in  the  undertaking  as  practical ; 
as  one  that  might,  could,  and  would,  be  achieved. 
Indeed,  this  faith  he  had  avowed  years  before.  In  a 
letter  written  as  early  as  August  tenth,  1843,  to  John 
C.  Spencer,  then  Secretary  of  the  Treasury,  Professor 
Morse  had  detailed  the  results  of  certain  experiments 
made  in  the  harbor  of  New  York  to  show  the  power 
of  electricity  to  communicate  at  great  distances,  sti  the 
close  of  which  he  says — in  words  that  now  seem  pro- 
phetic : 

"Tlie  practical  inference  from  this  law  is,  that  a  tele- 
graphic coinrimnication  on  the  electro-magnetic  plan  may 
with  certainty  be  established  across  tlie  Atlantic  Ocean  ! 
Startling  as  this  may  now  seem,  I  am  confident  the  time  will 
come  when  this  project  will  be  realized." 

It  was  the  good  fortune  of  Mr.  Field — at  that  time 
and  ever  since — to  have  at  hand  an  adviser  in  whose 
judgment  he  had  implicit  confidence.  This  was  his 
eldest  brother,  David  Dudley  Field.  They  lived  side 
by  side  on  Gramercy  Park,  and  were  in  daily  com- 
munication. To  the  prudent  counsels,  wise  judgment 
and  unfaltering  courage  of  the  elder  brother,  the  Atlan- 


CAN  THE  OCEAN  BE  SPANNED? 


23 


tic  Telegraph  is  more  indebted  than  the  world  will  ever 
know,  for  its  first  impulse  and  for  the  spirit  which 
sustained  it  through  long  years  of  discouragement  and 
disaster,  when  its  friends  were  few.  To  this,  his  near- 
est and  best  counsellor,  Mr.  Field  opened  the  project 
which  had  taken  possession  of  his  mind  ;  and  being 
strengthened  by  that  maturer  judgment,  he  finally 
resolved  that,  if  he  could  get  a  sufficient  number  of 
capitalists  to  join  him,  he  would  embark  in  an  enterprise 
which,  beginning  with  the  line  to  Newfoundland,  in- 
volved in  the  end  nothing  less  than  an  attempt  to  link 
this  New  "World  which  Columbus  had  discovered,  to 
that  Old  World  which  had  been  for  ages  the  home  of 
empire  and  of  civilization.  How  the  scheme  advanced 
through  the  next  twelve  years,  it  will  be  our  province 
to  relate. 


CHAPTER  HI. 


THE   COMPANY    OKGANIZED. 


It 


And  so  the  young  New  York  merchant  set  out  to 
carry  a  telegraph  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean  !  The 
design  had  in  it  at  least  the  merit  of  audacity.  But 
whether  the  end  was  to  be  sublime  or  ridiculous  time 
alone  could  tell.  Certain  it  is  that  when  his  sanguine 
temper  and  youthful  blood  stirred  him  up  to  take  hold 
of  such  an  enterprise,  he  little  dreamed  of  what  it 
would  involve,  lie  thought  lightly  of  a  few  thousands 
risked  in  an  uncertain  venture ;  but  never  imagined 
that  he  might  yet  be  drawn  on  to  stake  upon  its 
success  the  whole  f(<rtune  he  had  accumulated ;  that  he 
was  to  sacrifice  all  the  peace  and  quiet  he  had  hoped 
to  enjoy ;  and  that  for  twelve  years  he  was  to  be 
almost  without  a  home,  crossing  and  re-crossing  the 
sea,  urging  his  enterprise  in  Europe  and  America. 
But  so  it  is,  that  the  Being  who  designs  great  things 
for  human  Avelfare,  and  would  accomplish  them  by 
human  instruments,  does  not  lift  at  once  the  curtain 
from  the  stern  realities  they  are  to  meet,  nor  reveal 


^HV 


THE  COMPANY  ORGANIZED. 


25 


the  rugged  ascents  they  are  to  climb ;  so  that  it  is  only 
when  at  last  the  heights  are  attained,  and  they  look 
backward,  that  they  realize  through  what  they  have 
passed. 

But  could  he  find  anybody  to  join  him  in  his  bold 
undertaking  ?  Starving  adventurers  there  always  are, 
ready  to  embark  in  any  Quixotic  attempt,  since  they 
have  nothing  to  lose.  But  would  men  of  sense  and 
of  character ;  men  who  had  fortunes  to  keep,  and  the 
habit  which  business  gives  of  looking  calmly  and  sus- 
piciously at  probabilities ;  be  found  to  put  capital  in  an 
enterprise  where,  if  it  failed,  they  would  find  their 
money  literally  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  ?  It  seemed 
doubtful,  but  he  Avould  try.  His  plan  was,  if  possible, 
to  enlist  ten  capitalists,  all  gentlemen  of  wealth,  who 
together  could  lift  a  pretty  heavy  load ;  who,  if  need 
were,  could  easily  raise  a  million  of  dollars,  to  carr}-- 
out  any  undertaking. 

The  first  man  whom  he  addressed  was  his  next- 
door  neighbor,  Mr.  Peter  Cooper,  in  whom  he  found 
the  indisposition  which  a  man  of  large  fortune — now 
Avell  advanced  in  life — would  naturall}'  feel  to  embark 
in  new  enterprises.  The  reluctance  in  this  case  was 
not  so  much  to  the  risking  of  capital,  as  to  having  his 
mind  occupied  with  the  care  Avhich  it  would  impose. 
These  objections  slowly  yielded  to  other  considerations. 
As  they  talked  it  over,  the  large  heart  of  Mr.  Cooper 
began  to  see  that,  if  it  were  possible  to  accomplish 


I 


II 


%\ 


'!!i 


36 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


such  a  work,  it  would  be  a  great  public  benefit.  This 
consideration  prevailed,  and  what  would  not  have  been 
undertaken  as  a  private  speculation,  was  yielded  to 
public  interest.  The  conference  ended  by  a  condi- 
tional agreement  to  engage  in  it,  if  several  others  did, 
and,  as  we  shall  see,  when  the  Company  was  organized, 
he  became  its  President. 

The  early  accession  of  this  gentleman  gave  strength 
to  the  new  enterprise.  In  all  the  million  inhabitants 
of  the  city  of  New  York  there  was  not  a  name  which 
was  better  known,  or  more  justly  held  in  honor,  than 
that  of  Peter  Cooper.  A  native  of  the  city,  where 
he  had  passed  his  whole  life,  he  had  seen  its  growth, 
from  the  small  town  it  was  after  the  "War  of  the  Rev- 
olution, and  had  himself  grown  with  it.  Beginning 
with  very  small  means  and  limited  opportunities,  he 
had  become  one  of  its  great  capitalists.  Many  who 
thus  rise  to  wealth,  in  the  process  of  rccumulation,  form 
penurious  habits  which  cling  to  them,  and  to  the  end 
of  their  days  it  is  the  chief  object  of  life  to  hoard  and 
to  keep.  But  Mr.  Cooper,  while  acquiring  the  fortune, 
had  also  the  heart,  of  a  prince ;  and  used  his  wealth 
with  a  noble  generosity.  In  the  centre  of  New  York 
stands  to-day  a  massive  building,  erected  at  a  cost 
of  nearly  a  million  of  dollars,  and  consecrated  "  To 
Science  and  Art."  This  was  Mr.  Cooper's  gift  to  his 
native  city.  Remembering  his  own  limited  advan- 
tages of  education,  he  desired  that  the  young  men  of 


THE  COMPANY  ORGANIZED. 


87 


Kew  York,  the  apprentices  and  mechanics,  should 
have  better  opportunities  than  he  had  enjoyed.  For 
this  he  endowed  courses  of  lectures  on  the  natural  sci- 
ences ;  he  opened  the  largest  reading-room  in  America, 
which  furnishes  a  pleasant  resort  to  thousands  of 
readers  daily  ;  while  to  help  the  other  sex,  he  added 
a  School  of  Design  for  Women,  which  trains  hundreds 
to  be  teachers,  and  some  of  them  artists ;  who  go 
forth  into  the  world  to  earn  an  honest  living,  and  to 
bless  the  memory  of  their  generous  benefactor.  This 
noble  institution,  standing  in  the  heart  of  the  city,  is 
his  enduring  monument. 

Yet  while  doing  so  much  for  the  public,  those  who 
saw  Peter  Cooper  in  his  family  knew  how  he  retained 
the  simple  habits  of  early  life  —  how,  while  giving 
hundreds  of  thousands  to  others,  he  cared  to  spend 
little  on  himself ;  how  he  remained  the  same  modest, 
kindly  old  man ;  the  pure,  the  generous,  and  the 
good.     His  was 

"The  good  gray  head  that  all  men  knew," 

and  that  was  sadly  missed  when,  nearly  thirty  years 
after,  in  1883,  at  the  age  of  ninet^'^-two,  he  was  borne 
to  his  grave.  It  is  a  pleasant  remembrance  that  the 
beginning  of  this  enterprise  was  connected  with  that 
honored  name. 

Mr.  Field  next  addressed  himself  to  Mr.  Moses  Tay- 
lor, a  well-known  capitalist  of  New  York,  engaged  in 


I  n. 


M 


f     I 


I! 


hi 


98  STORY  OF  TUE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

extensive  business  reaching  to  different  parts  of  the 
world,  and  whose  daily  observation  of  all  sorts  of  enter- 
prises, both  sound  and  visionary,  made  him  perhaps  a 
severer  judge  of  any  ^^ew  scheme.  With  this  gentle- 
man he  had  then  no  personal  acquaintance,  but  sent  a 
note  of  introduction  from  his  brother,  David  Dudley 
Field,  with  a  line  requesting  an  interview,  to  which  Mr. 
Taylor  replied  by  an  invitation  to  his  house  on  an  even- 
ing when  he  should  be  disengaged.  As  these  two  gen- 
tlemen afterwards  became  very  intimately  associated, 
they  often  recurred  to  their  first  interview.  Said  Mr. 
Field :  "  I  shall  never  forget  how  Mr.  Taylor  received 
me.  He  fixed  on  me  his  keen  eye,  as  if  he  would  look 
through  me  :  and  then,  sitting  down,  he  listened  to  me 
for  nearly  an  hour  without  saying  a  word."  This  was 
rather  an  ominous  beginning.  However,  his  quick 
mind  soon  saw  the  possibilities  of  the  enterprise,  and 
the  evening  ended  by  an  agreement — conditional,  like 
Mr.  Cooper's — to  enter  into  it. 

Mr.  Taylor,  being  thus  enlisted,  brought  in  his  friend, 
Mr.  Marshall  O.  Roberts — a  man  whose  career  has 
been  too  remarkable  to  be  passed  without  notice.  A 
native  of  the  City  of  New  York,  (though  his  father 
was  a  physician  from  Wales,  who  came  to  this  country 
early  in  this  century,)  he  found  himself,  when  a  boy  of 
eight  years,  an  orphan,  without  a  friend  in  the  world. 
From  that  time  he  made  his  way  purely  by  his  own 
industry  and  indomitable  will.     At  the  age  of  twenty 


1 1' 


I  '     s 


THE  COMPANY  ORGANIZED. 


29 


he  was  embarked  in  business  for  hinisolf,  and  his  his- 
tory soon  became  a  succession  of  great  enterprises. 
If  we  were  to  relate  some  of  the  incidents  connected 
with  liis  rise  of  fortune,  tliey  would  sound  more  like 
romance  than  reality.  He  was  the  first  to  project 
those  floating  palaces  which  now  ply  the  waters  of 
the  Hudson  and  the  great  lakes.  Ho  was  one  of  the 
early  promoters  of  the  Erie  Railroad.  When  the  dis- 
covery of  gold  in  California  turned  the  tide  of  emi- 
gration to  that  coast,  he  started  the  line  of  steamers 
to  the  Isthmus  of  Panama,  and  controlled  largely 
the  commerce  with  the  Pacific.  Thus  his  hand  was 
felt,  giving  impulse  to  many  different  enterprises  on 
land  and  sea.  Ilis  whole  course  was  marked  by  a 
spirit  of  commercial  daring,  which  men  called  rashness, 
until  they  saw  its  success,  and  then  applauded  as  mar- 
vellous sagacity. 

Mr.  Field  next  wrote  to  Mr.  Chandler  White,  a  per- 
sonal friend  of  many  years'  standing,  who  had  retired 
from  business,  and  was  living  a  few  miles  below  the 
city,  near  Fort  Hamilton,  at  one  of  those  beautiful 
points  of  view  which  command  the  whole  harbor  of 
New  York.  He  too  was  very  slow  to  yield  to  argu- 
ment or  persuasion.  Why  should  he — when  he  had 
cast  anchor  in  this  peaceful  spot — again  embark  in  the 
cares  of  business,  and,  worst  of  all,  in  an  enterprise  the 
scene  of  which  was  far  distant,  and  the  results  very 
uncertain?    But  enthusiasm  is  alwavs  magnetic,  and 


80 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


f.ll 


the  glowing  descriptions  of  his  persuader  at  length 
prevailed.* 

There  were  now  five  gentlemen  o....oted ;  and  Mr. 
Field  was  about  to  apply  to  others,  to  make  up  his 
proposed  number,  when  Mr.  Cooper  came  to  ask  why 
five  would  not  do  as  well  as  te7i  ?  The  question  was 
no  sooner  asked  than  answered.  To  this  all  agreed, 
and  at  once  fixed  an  evening  when  they  should  meet 
at  Mr.  Field's  house  to  hear  his  statements  and  to  ex- 
amine the  charter  of  the  old  company,  find  out  what  it 
had  done,  and  what  it  proposed  to  do,  what  property 
it  had  and  what  debts  it  owed ;  and  decide  whether 
the  enterprise  offered  sufficient  induc'  nents  to  embark 
in  it.  Accordingly  they  met,  and  ^'our  nights  in 
succession  discussed  the  subject.  It  w  ^6  in  the  dining- 
room  of  Mr.  Field's  liouse,  and  the  large  table  was 
spread  with  maps  of  the  route  to  be  traversed  by  the 
line  of  telegra])h,  and  with  plans  and  estimates  of  the 
work  to  be  done,  the  cost  of  doing  it,  and  the,  return 
which  they  might  hope  in  the  end  to  realize  fcjr.  their 
labor  and  their  capital.     The  result  was  an  agreen^nt 


*  Although  It  is  anticipating  a  year  in  time,  I  cannot  resist  tlie  pleas- 
ure of  adding  here  the  name  of  another  eminent  merchant,  who  after- 
ward joined  this  little  Company,  Mr.  Wilson  G.  Hunt.  Mr.  Hunt  is  one 
of  the  old  merchants  of  New  York  who,  througli  his  whole  career,  has 
maintained  the  highest  reputation  for  commercial  integrity,  and  whose 
fortune  is  the  reward  of  a  long  life  of  honorable  industry.  He  joined 
the  Company  in  1855,  and  was  a  strong  and  steady  friend  through  all  its 
troubles  till  the  final  success. 


THE  COMPANY  OUOANIZER 


;]i 


on  the  part  of  all  to  enter  on  the  undertaking,  if  tlio 
Governniont  of  Newfoundland  would  grant  a  new 
charter  conceding  more  favorable  terms.  To  secure 
this  it  was  important  to  send  at  once  a  commission  to 
Newfoundland,  N«!ither  Mr.  Cooper,  Mr.  Taylor,  nor 
Mr.  Iloberts  could  go;  and  it  devolved  on  Mr.  Field 
to  make  the  first  voyage  on  this  business,  as  it  did  to 
make  many  voyages  afterwards  to  Newfoundland,  and 
still  more  across  the  Atlantic.  But  not  wishing  to 
take  the  whole  responsibility,  he  was  accompanied  at 
his  earnest  request  by  Mr.  White,  and  by  Mr.  I).  D. 
Field,  whose  couns  I,  as  lie  was  to  be  the  legal  adviser 
of  the  Company,  was  all-important  in  the  framing  of 
the  new  charter  that  was  to  secure  its  rights.  The 
latter  thus  describes  this  first  expedition  : 


"The  agreement  with  the  Electric  Telegrapli  Company, 
and  tlie  formal  surrender  of  its  cliartor,  were  signed  on  the 
tentli  of  Marcli,  [1854.]  and  on  the  fourteenth  we  left  New 
York,  accompanied  by  Mr.  Gisborne.  Tlie  next  morning 
we  took  tlie  steamer  at  Boston  for  Halifax,  and  thence,  on 
the  niglit  of  tlie  eighteenth,  departed  in  the  little  steamer 
Merlin  for  St.  John's,  Newfoundland.  Tbree  more  disagree- 
able days,  voyages  scarcely  ever  passed,  than  we  s})ent  in 
that  smallest  of  steamers.  It  seemed  as  if  all  the  storms  of 
winter  hau  been  reserved  for  the  first  month  of  spring.  A 
frost-bound  coast,  an  icy  sea,  rain,  hail,  snow  and  tempest, 
were  the  greetings  of  the  telegraph  adventurers  in  their  first 
movement  toward  Europe.  In  the  darkest  night,  through 
which  no  man  could  see  the  ship's  length,  with  snow  filling 


!(  • 


I 


V 


f 

1 

1 ' 

i: 

i 

'  1 

! 

s 

» 

1 

i ' 

1 

r 

33 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


the  air  and  flying  into  the  eyes  of  tlie  sailors,  witli  ice  in  the 
water,  and  a  lieavy  sea  I'olling  and  moaning  about  us,  the 
captain  felt  his  way  around  Cape  Race  with  his  lead,  as  the 
blind  man  feels  his  way  with  his  staff,  but  as  confidently 
and  as  safely  as  if  the  sky  had  been  clear  and  the  sea  calm  ; 
and  the  light  of  morning  dawned  upon  deck  and  mast 
and  spar,  coated  with  glittering  ice,  but  floating  securely 
between  the  mountains  which  form  the  gates  of  the  harbor 
of  St.  John's.  In  that  busy  and  hospitable  town,  the  first 
person  to  Avhom  we  were  introduced  was  Mr.  Edward  M. 
Archibald,  then  Attorney-General  of  the  Colony,  and  now 
British  Consul  in  New  York.  He  entered  warmly  into  our 
views,  and  from  that  day  to  this,  has  been  an  efficient  and 
consistent  supporter  of  the  undertaking.  By  him  we  were 
introduced  to  the  Governor,  (Kerr  Bailey  Hamilton,)  who 
also  took  an  earnest  interest  in  our  plans.  He  convoked  the 
Council  to  receive  us,  and  hear  an  explanation  of  our  views 
and  wishes.  In  a  few  hours  after  the  conference,  the 
answer  of  the  Governor  and  Council  was  received,  con- 
senting to  recommend  to  the  Assembly  a  guarantee  of  the 
interest  of  £50,000  of  bonds,  an  immediate  grant  of  fifty 
square  miles  of  land,  a  further  grant  to  the  same  extent  on 
the  completion  of  the  telegrai)h  across  the  ocean,  and  a  pay- 
ment of  £5,000  toward  the  construction  of  a  bridle-path 
across  the  island,  along  the  line  of  the  land  telegraph." 

This  was  a  hopeful  beginning;  and,  though  the 
charter  was  not  yet  obtained,  feehng  assured  by  this 
official  encouragement,  and  the  public  interest  in  the 
project,  that  it  would  be  granted  by  the  colony,  Mr. 
Field  remained  in  St.  John's  but  three  days,  when 
he  took  the  Merlin   back   to   Halifax  on  his  way  to 


n 


THE  COMPANY   ORGANIZED. 


33 


New  York,  there  to  purchase  and  send  down  a  steamer 
for  the  service  of  the  Company,  leaving  his  associates 
to  secure  the  charter  and  to  carry  out  the  arrange- 
ments Avith  the  former  company.  To  settle  all  these 
details  was  necessarily  a  work  oi'  time.  First,  the 
charter  of  the  old  Electric  Telegraph  Company  had 
to  be  repealed,  to  clear  the  wa}"  for  a  new  charter  to 
the  Company,  which  was  to  bear  the  more  comprehen- 
sive title  of  "  New  York,  Newfoundland,  mvl  LondonP 
This  charter — which  had  been  drawn  with  the  greatest 
care  by  the  counsel  of  the  Company,  while  on  the 
voyage  to  Newfoundland — bore  on  its  very  front  the 
declaration  that  the  plans  of  the  new  Company  were 
much  broader  than  those  of  the  old.  In  the  former 
charter,  the  design  was  thus  set  forth : 

"The  telegraph  line  of  this  company  is  designed  to  he 

strictly  an  'Inter-Continental  Telegraph.'    Its  termini  will 

be  New  York,   in  the  United  States,  and  London,  in  the 

kingdom  of  Great  Britain  ;  these  points  are  to  be  connected 

by  a  line  of  electric  telegraph  from  New  York  to  St.  John's, 

Newfoundland,  partly  on  poles,  partly  laid  in  the  ground, 

and  partly  through  the  water,  and  a  line  of  the  siciftest 

steamships  ever  built  from  that  point  to  Ireland.     Tlie 

trips  of  these  steamsliips,  it  is  expected,  will  net  exceed  five 

days,  and  as  very  little  time  will  be  occi:pied  in  transmitting 

messages  between  St.  John's  and  New  /ork,  the  comnmni- 

cation  between  the  latter  city  and  London  or  Liverpool,  will 

be  effected  in  six  days,  or  less.     The  company  will  have 

likewise  stationed  at  St.  John's  a  steam  yacht,  for  the  purpose 
8 


!« 


II 


n 


34 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


of  intercepting  the  European  and  American  steamships,  so 
that  no  opportunity  may  be  lost  in  forwarding  intelligence 
in  advance  of  the  ordinary  channels  of  communication." 

But  the  charter  of  the  Xew  York,  Newfoundland, 
and  London  Telegraph  Company,  which  was  now  to  be 
obtained,  began  by  declaring,  in  its  very  first  sentence : 
"  "Whereas  it  is  deemed  advisable  to  establish  a  line  of 
telegraphic  communication  between  America  and  Eu- 
rope by  Avay  of  Newfoundland."  Xot  a  word  is  said 
of  fast  ships,  of  communications  in  less  than  six  days, 
but  every  thing  points  to  a  line  across  the  ocean.  Thus 
one  section  gives  authority  to  establish  a  submarine 
telegraph  across  the  ocean,  from  Newfoundland  to  Ire- 
land; another  section  prohibits  any  other  company  or 
person  from  touching  the  coast  of  Newfoundland  or  its 
dependencies  [which  includes  Labrador]  with  a  tele- 
graphic cable  or  wire,  from  any  point  whatever,  for 
fifty  years ;  and  a  third  section  grants  the  Company 
fifty  square  miles  of  land  upon  the  completion  of  the 
submarine  line  across  the  Atlantic. 

In  other  respects  the  charter  was  equally  liberal.  It 
incorporated  the  associates  for  fifty  years,  established 
perfect  equality,  in  respect  to  corporators  and  officers, 
between  citizens  of  the  United  States  and  British  sub- 
jects, and  allowed  the  meetings  of  the  stockholders  and 
directors  to  be  held  in  New  York,  in  Newfoundland,  or 
in  London. 

To  obtain  such  concessions  was  a  work  of  some  diffi- 


,aa>a>ag..;sai::;> 


THE  COMPANY  ORGANIZED. 


35 


culty  and  delay.  The  Legislature  of  the  province  were 
naturally  anxious  to  scan  carefully  conditions  that  were 
to  bind  them  and  their  children  for  half  a  century.  I 
have  now  before  me  the  papers  of  St.  John's  of  that 
day,  containing  the  discussions  in  the  Legislature  ;  and 
while  all  testifj^  to  the  deep  public  interest  in  the  proj- 
ect, they  show  a  due  care  for  the  interests  of  their 
own  colony,  which  they  were  bound  to  protect.  At 
length  all  difficulties  were  removed,  and  the  charter 
was  passed  unanimously  by  the  Assembly,  and  con- 
firmed by  the  Council. 

This  happy  result  Avas  duly  celebrated,  in  the  man- 
ner which  all  Englishmen  approve,  by  a  grand  dinner 
given  by  the  commissioners  of  the  new  Company, 
to  the  members  of  the  Assembly  and  other  dignitaries 
of  the  colony,  at  which  there  were  eloquent  prophe- 
cies of  the  good  time  coming,  showing  how  heartily 
the  enterprise  was  welcomed  by  all  classes ;  and  how 
fond  were  the  anticipations  of  the  increased  inter- 
course it  would  bring,  and  the  manifold  benefits  it 
would  confer  on  their  long-neglected  island. 

Ko  sooner  were  the  papers  signed,  than  the  wheels, 
so  long  blocked,  were  unloosed,  and  the  machinery 
began  to  move.  Mr.  White  at  once  drew  on  New 
York  for  fifty  thousand  dollars,  and  paid  off  all 
the  debts  of  the  old  comjiany.  A  St.  John's  news- 
paper of  April  Sth,  1854,  amid  a  great  deal  on  the 
subject,  contains  this  paragraph,  which   is   very  sig- 


H 


\\ 


3G 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


nificant  of  the  dead  state  of  the  old  company,  and  of 
the  life  of  the  new : 

' '  The  office  of  the  new  Electric  Telegraph  Company  has 
been  surrounded  tlie  last  two  or  three  days  by  the  men  who 
had  been  engaged  the  last  year  on  the  line,  and  who  are 
being  paid  all  debts,  dues,  and  demands  against  the  old 
association.  We  look  upon  the  readiness  with  which  these 
claims  are  liquidated  as  a  substantial  indication  on  the  part 
of  the  new  Company  that  they  will  complete  to  the  letter  all 
that  they  have  declared  to  accomplish  in  this  important 
undertaking." 

In  the  earh'-  part  of  May,  the  two  gentlemen  who 
had  remained  behind  in  Newfoundland  rejoined  their 
associates  in  New  York,  and  there  the  charter  was 
formally  accepted  and  the  Company  organized.  As  all 
the  associates  had  not  arrived  till  Saturday  evening, 
the  6th  of  May,  and  as  one  of  them  was  to  leave  town 
on  Monday  morning,  it  was  agreed  that  they  should 
meet  for  organization  at  six  o'clock  of  that  day.  At 
that  hour  they  came  to  the  house  of  Mr.  Field's 
brother  Dudley,  and  as  the  first  rays  of  the  morning 
sun  streamed  into  the  windows,  the  formal  organiza- 
tion took  place.  The  charter  was  accepted,  the  stock 
subscribed,  and  the  officers  chosen.  Mr.  Cooper,  Mr. 
Taylor,  Mr.  Field,  Mr.  Eoberts,  and  Mr.  White  were 
the  first  directors.  Mr.  Cooper  was  chosen  President, 
Mr.  White,  Vice-President,  and  Mr.  Taylor,  Treasurer. 

This  is  a  short  story,  and  soon  told.    It  seemed  a 


i  ; 


THE  COMPANY  ORGANIZED. 


37 


light  aflfair,  for  half  a  dozen  men  to  meet  in  the  early 
morning  and  toss  off  such  a  business  before  break- 
fast. But  what  a  work  was  that  to  which  they  thus 
put  their  hands !  A  capital  of  a  million  and  a  half 
of  dollars  Avas  subscribed  in  those  few  minutes,  and  a 
company  put  in  operation  that  was  to  carry  a  line  of 
telegraph  to  St.  John's,  rnore  than  a  thousand  miles 
from  New  York,  and  then  to  span  the  wild  sea.  "Well 
was  it  that  they  who  undertook  the  work  did  not  then 
fully  realize  its  magnitude,  or  they  would  have  shrunk 
from  the  attempt.  Well  was  it  for  them  that  the  veil 
was  not  lifted,  which  shut  from  their  eyes  the  long 
delay,  the  immense  toil,  and  the  heavy  burdens  of 
many  wearisome  years.  Such  a  prospect  might  have 
chilled  the  most  sanguine  spirit.  But  a  kind  Provi- 
dence gives  men  strength  for  their  day,  imposes  bur- 
dens as  they  are  able  to  bear  them,  and  thus  leads 
them  on  to  greater  achievements  than  they  knew. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


CROSSING    NEWFOUNDLAND. 


^Ii\ 


ir 


i'i 


There  is  nothing  in  the  world  easier  than  to  build 
a  line  of  railroad,  or  of  telegraph,  on  j>aper.  You 
have  only  to  take  the  map,  and  mark  the  points  to  be 
connected,  and  then  with  a  single  sweep  of  tlie  pencil 
to  draw  the  line  along  which  the  iron  track  is  to  run. 
In  this  airy  flight  of  the  imagination,  distances  are 
nothing.  A  thousand  leagues  vanish  at  a  stroke.  All 
obstacles  disappear.  The  valleys  are  exalted,  and  the 
hills  are  made  low,  soaring  arches  span  the  mountain 
streams,  and  the  chasms  are  leaped  in  safety  by  the 
fire-drawn  cars. 

Very  different  is  it  to  construct  a  line  of  railroad 
or  of  telegraph  in  reality;  to  come  Avith  an  army  of 
laborers,  with  axes  on  their  shoulders  to  cut  down  the 
forests,  and  with  spades  in  their  hands  to  cast  up  the 
highway.  Then  poetry  sinks  to  pi'ose,  and  instead 
of  flying  over  the  space  on  wings,  one  must  traverse 
it  on  foot,  slowly  and  with  painful  steps.  Nature 
asserts  her  power ;  and,  as  if  resentful  of  the  disdain 
with  which  man  in  his  pride  affected  to  leap  over  her, 
she  piles  up  new  barriers  in  his  v/ay.    The  mountains 


is."    'i 


CROSSING  NEWFOUNDLAND. 


39 


with  their  rugged  sides  cannot  be  moved  out  of  their 
place,  the  rocks  must  be  cleft  in  twain,  to  open  a 
passage  for  the  conqueror,  before  he  can  begin  his 
triumphal  march.  The  woods  thicken  into  an  impas- 
sable jungle;  and  the  morass  sinks  deeper,  threaten- 
ing to  swallow  up  the  horse  and  his  rider ;  until  the 
rash  jirojector  is  startled  at  his  own  audacity.  Then 
it  becomes  a  contest  of  forces  between  man  and  nature, 
in  which,  if  he  would  be  victorious,  he  must  fight  his 
way.  The  barriers  of  nature  cannot  be  lightl}'  pushed 
aside,  but  must  yield  at  last  only  to  time  and  toil,  and 
"  man's  unconquerable  Avill." 

Seldom  have  all  these  obstacles  been  combined  in  a 
more  formidable  manner  to  obstruct  any  public  work, 
than  against  the  attempt  to  build  a  telegraph  line 
across  the  island  of  Newfoundland.  The  distance, 
by  the  route  to  be  traversed,  was  over  four  hundred 
miles,  and  the  country  was  a  wilderness,  an  utter  deso- 
lation. Yet  through  such  a  country,  over  mountain 
and  moor,  through  tangled  brake  and  rocky  gorge, 
over  rivers  and  through  morasses,  they  were  to  build 
a  road — not  merely  a  line  of  telegraph  stuck  on  poles, 
but  "a  good  and  traversable  bridle-road,  eight  feet 
Avide,  with  bridges  of  the  same  width,"  from  end  to 
end  of  the  island. 

But  nothing  daunted,  the  new  Company  undertook 
the  great  Avork  Avitli  spirit  and  resolution.  Gisborne 
had  made  a  beginning,  and  got  some  thirty  or  fort}'^ 


40 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


I*  pi 


§ 


lU'if 


II 


I 


I   ' 


miles  out  of  St.  John's.  This  was  the  easiest  part 
of  the  whole  route,  being  in  the  most  inhabited  region 
of  the  island.  But  here  he  broke  down,  just  where 
it  was  necessary  to  leave  civilization  behind,  and  to 
plunge  into  the  wilderness. 

Intending  to  resume  the  work  on  a  much  larger 
scale,  Mr.  White,  the  Vice-President,  was  sent  down 
to  St.  John's  to  be  the  (xeneral  Agent  of  the  Com- 
pany ;  while  Mr.  Matthew  D.  Field,  as  a  practical 
engineer,  Avas  to  have  charge  of  the  construction  of 
the  line.  The  latter  soon  organized  a  force  of  six 
hundred  men,  which  he  pushed  forward  in  detach- 
ments to  the  scene  of  operations. 

And  now  began  to  appear  still  more  the  difficulties 
of  the  way.  To  provide  subsistence  for  man  and 
beast,  it  was  necessary  to  keep  near  the  coast,  for  all 
supplies  had  to  be  sent  round  by  sea.  Yet  in  fol- 
lowing the  coast  line,  they  had  to  wind  around  bays, 
or  to  climb  over  headlands.  If  they  struck  into  the 
interior,  they  had  to  cut  their  Avay  through  the  dense 
and  tangled  wood.  There  was  not  a  path  to  guide 
tliera,  not  even  an  Indian  trail.  When  lost  in  the 
forest,  they  had  to  follow  the  compass,  as  much  as  the 
mariner  at  sea. 

To  keep  such  a  force  in  the  field,  that,  like  an  array, 
produced  nothing,  but  consumed  fearfully,  required 
constant  attention  to  the  commissary  department.  The 
little  steamer  Victoria,  which  belonged  to  the  Company, 


CROSSING  NEWFOUNDLAND. 


41 


•was  kept  plj'ing  along  the  coast,  carrying  barrels  of 
pork  and  potatoes,  kegs  of  powder,  pickaxes  and  spades 
and  shovels,  and  all  the  implements  of  labor.  These 
Avere  taken  up  to  the  heads  of  the  baj's,  and  thence 
carried,  chiefly  on  men's  backs,  over  the  hills  to  the 
line  of  the  road. 

In  many  respects,  it  had  the  features  of  a  military 
expedition.  It  moved  forward  in  a  great  camp.  The 
men  were  sheltered  in  tents,  when  sheltered  at  all,  or 
in  small  huts  which  they  built  along  the  road.  But 
more  often  they  slept  on  the  ground.  It  was  a  wild 
and  picturesque  sight  to  come  upon  their  camp  in  the 
woods,  to  see  their  fires  blazing  at  night  while  hun- 
dreds of  stalwart  sleepers  la}'  stretched  on  the  ground. 
Sometimes,  when  encamped  on  the  hills,  they  could  be 
seen  afar  off  at  sea.  It  made  a  pretty  picture  then. 
But  the  hai'dy  pioneers  thought  little  of  the  figure  they 
were  making,  when  they  were  exposed  to  the  fury  of 
the  elements.  Often  the  rain  fell  in  torrents,  and  the 
men,  crouching  under  their  slight  shelter,  listened  sadly 
to  the  sighing  of  the  wind  among  the  trees,  answered 
by  the  desolate  moaning  of  the  sea. 

Yet  in  spite  of  all  obstacles,  the  work  went  on.  All 
through  the  long  days  of  summer,  and  through  the 
months  of  autumn,  every  cove  and  creek  along  that 
southern  coast  heard  the  plashing  of  their  oars,  and 
the  steady  stroke  of  their  axes  resounded  through  the 
forest. 


i 


42 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPn. 


'  n 


M 


11 


k      i: 


But  us  the  season  advanced,  all  these  difficulties  in- 
creased. For  nearly  half  the  year,  the  island  is  buried 
in  snow.  Blinding  drifts  sweep  over  the  moors,  and 
choke  up  the  paths  of  the  forest.  How  at  such  times 
the  expedition  lay  floundering  in  the  woods,  still 
struggling  to  force  its  way  onward ;  what  hardships 
and  sufferings  the  men  endured — all  this  is  a  chapter 
in  the  History  of  the  Telegraph  which  has  not  been 
written,  and  which  can  never  be  fully  told.     The 

Gentlemen  of  England, 
Who  dwell  at  lionie  at  ease, 

and  who  are  justly  proud  of  the  extent  of  their  domin- 
ions, and  the  life  and  ])ower  which  pervade  the  whole, 
may  here  find  another  example  of  the  way  in  which 
great  works  are  borne  forward  in  distant  parts  of  their 
empire. 

But  to  carry  out  such  an  enterprise,  requires  head- 
work  as  well  as  hand-work.  Engineering  in  the  field 
must  be  supported  by  financiering  at  home.  It  was 
here  the  former  enterprise  broke  down,  and  now  it 
needed  constant  watching  to  keep  the  wheels  in  steady 
motion.  The  directors  in  Kew  York  found  the  de- 
mand increasing  day  by  day.  The  minds  which  had 
grasped  the  large  design  must  now  descend  to  an  in- 
finity of  detail.  They  had  to  keep  an  army  of  men  at 
work,  at  a  point  a  thousand  miles  away,  far  beyond 
their  immediate  oversight.     Drafts  for  money  came 


jj-riiwmifisi 


CROSSING  NEWFOUNDLAND. 


48 


thick  and  fust.  To  provide  for  all  these  required 
constant  attention.  How  faithfully  they  gave  to  this 
enterprise,  not  only  their  money,  but  their  time  and 
thought,  few  will  know  ;  but  those  who  have  seen  can 
testify.  In  the  autumn  of  that  year,  1854,  the  writer 
removed  to  the  citv  of  Now  York,  and  was  almost 
daily  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Field.  Yet  for  months  it 
was  hardly  possible  to  go  there  of  an  evening  without 
finding  the  library  occupied  by  the  Company.  Indeed, 
so  uniformly  was  this  the  case,  that  "  The  Telegraph  " 
bejjan  to  be  regarded  bv  the  family  as  an  unwelcome 
intruder,  since  it  put  an  interdict  on  the  former  social 
evenings  and  quiet  domestic  enjoyment.  The  circum- 
stance shows  the  ceaseless  care  on  the  part  of  the 
directors  which  the  entei'jiriso  involved.  As  a  witness 
of  their  incessant  labor,  it  is  due  to  them  to  bear  this 
testimony  to  their  patience  and  their  fidelity. 

When  the}^  began  the  work,  they  hoped  to  carry  the 
line  across  Newfoundland  in  one  year,  completing  it  in 
the  summer  of  1855.  In  anticipation  of  this,  Mr.  Field 
was  sent  by  the  Company  to  England  at  the  close  of 
l!^54,  to  order  a  cable  to  span  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence, to  connect  Cape  Ray  with  the  island  of  Cape 
Breton.  This  was  his  first  voyage  across  the  ocean  on 
the  business  of  the  Telegraph — to  be  followed  by  more 
than  forty  others.  In  London  he  met  for  the  first 
time  Mr.  John  "VY.  Brett,  with  whom  he  was  to  be 
afterward  connected  in  the  larger  enterprise  of  the 


44 


STOTIY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPn. 


Atlantic  Telegraph.  Mr.  Brett  was  the  father  of  sub- 
marine telegraphy  in  Europe,  tliougii  in  carrying  out 
his  first  projects  he  was  largely  indebted  to  Mr.  Cramp- 
ton,  a  well-known  engineer  of  London,  Avho  aided  him 
botii  with  advice  and  capital.  AVitli  this  invaluable 
assistance,  he  had  stretched  two  lines  across  the  British 
channel.  From  his  success  in  ])assing  those  waters,  he 
believed  a  line  might  yet  be  stretched  from  continent 
to  continent.  The  scientific  men  of  England  were  not 
generally  educated  up  to  that  point.  The  bare  sug- 
fjestion  was  received  with  a  smile  of  incredulitv.*  But 
Mr.  Brett  had  faith,  even  at  that  early  dav,  and  en- 
tered heartily  into  the  schemes  of  Mr.  Field.  To  show 
his  interest,  he  afterward  took  a  few  shares  in  the 
Newfoundland  line — the  only  Englishman  who  had 
any  part  in  this  preliminary  work. 

The  summer  came,  and  the  work  in  Newfoundland, 
though  not  complete,  was  advancing;  and  the  cable 

*  One  or  two  exceptions  there  were,  not  to  be  forgotten.  Professor 
William  Thomson,  of  the  University  of  Glasgow,  then  a  young  man,  but 
full  of  the  enthusiasm  of  science,  was  already  prepared  to  welcome  such 
a  project,  with  eonlidence  of  success.  As  early  as  October  and  Novem- 
ber, 1854,  he  wrote  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Roj'al  Society  of  London,  de- 
claring his  belief  in  its  practicability.  The  letters  nrc  i-n'  li-iK'i  lu  ihe 
Proceedings  of  the  Royal  Society  for  1855.  Sucl  ;ailh  w.ib  ..ot  vision- 
ary, for  it  was  based  on  clearer  knowledge  ui  i  i'  thorough  investiga- 
tion, and  gave  promise  of  those  eminei  us  which  this  y  tleman 
was  afterwards  to  render  to  the  cause  leetrical  pcleuce.  «lr.  C.  F. 
Varley,  also,  was  one  of  the  first  to  perci'i^  the  pi'  ibility  of  an  ocean 
telegraph,  as  he  was  to  contribute  greatly  to  its  flu       uccess. 


»j«  ii»intiM»mi 


CUOSSIXd    XHWFOUN'nLAND. 


45 


in  England  wus  finished  and  sliipjjcd  on  l«)ard  tlio  l)ai'Ii 
Sarali  L.  Ilryant  to  cross  tlio  soa.  Anticipating  its 
arrival,  tlie  C/ompany  cliartored  a  stoanior  to  go  down 
to  Newt'oiindlaiid  to  assist  in  its  submersion  across  tlie 
Gulf  of  St.  Law  ronco.  As  yet  they  had  no  experience 
in  the  business  of  laying  a  submarine  telegraph,  and 
did  not  doubt  that  the  work  could  be  accomplished 
with  the  greatest  ease.  Tt  was  therefore  to  be  an  ex- 
cursion of  pleasure  as  well  as  of  business,  and  accord- 
ingly they  invited  a  large  party  to  go  witli  them  to 
"witness  the  unaccustomed  spectacle. 

As  we  chanced  to  be  among  the  guests,  we  have  the 
best  reason  to  remember  it.  Seldom  has  a  more  pleas- 
ant party  been  gathered  for  any  expedition.  Repre- 
senting the  Company  were  Mr.  Field,  Mr.  Peter  Cooper, 
Mr.  Robert  W.  Lowber,  and  Professor  Morse ;  while 
among  the  invited  guests  wei-e  gentlemen  of  all  pro- 
fessions— clergymen,  doctors  and  lawyers,  artists  and 
editors.  In  the  groups  on  the  deck  were  the  venerable 
Dr.  Gardiner  S])ring  and  Rev.  J.  M.  Sherwood ;  Dr. 
Lewis  A.  Sayre,  Bayard  Taylor,  the  well-known  travel- 
ler, Mr.  Fitz-James  O'Brien,  and  Mr.  John  Mullaly — 
the  three  latter  gentlemen  representing  leading  papers 
of  New  York.*     Besides  these,  the  party  included  a 

*  The  letters  of  Mr.  Taylor,  wliicli  tlrst  appeared  in  Tlie  New  York 
Tribune  have  been  since  colleeteil  in  one  of  his  volumes  of  travel.  Mr. 
O'Brien,  a  very  brilliant  writer,  who  afterward  fell  in  our  civil  war, 
fighting  bravely  for  his  adopted  country,  furnished  some  spirited  letters 
to  The  Times.     But  Mr.  Mullaly,  who  appealed  for  The  Herald,  was  the 


HrwHHuai 


! .  a 


t>     l! 

I'  h 


I     I  ,   ! 


46 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


large  number  of  ladies,  who  gave  life  and  animation  to 
tiie  company. 

Well  does  the  writer  recall  the  morning  of  de- 
partm-e — the  seventh  day  of  August,  1855.  Never  did 
a  voyage  begin  with  fairer  omens.  It  was  a  bright 
summer  day.  The  sky  was  clear,  and  the  water 
smooth.  We  were  on  the  deck  of  the  good  ship  James 
Adger,  long  known  as  one  of  tiie  fine  steamers  belong- 
ing to  the  Charleston  line.  She  was  a  swift  ship,  and 
cut  the  water  like  an  arrow.  Thus  we  sped  down  the 
bay,  and  turning  into  the  ocean,  skimmed  along  the 
shores  of  Long  Island.  The  sea  was  tranquil  as  a  lake. 
The  whole  party  were  on  deck,  scattered  in  groups 
here  and  there,  watching  the  sails  and  the  shore.  A 
rude  telegraph  insurument  furnished  entertainment  and 
instruction,  especially  as  we  had  Professor  Morse  to 
explain  his  marvellous  invention,  which  some  who 
listened  then  for  the  first  time  understood. 

At  Halifax,  several  of  us  left  the  ship,  and  came 
across  Nova  Scotia,  passing  through  that  lovely  region 

most  persevering  attendant  oa  the  Telegraph,  and  the  most  indefatigable 
correspondent.  He  accompanied  not  only  tliis  expedition,  but  several 
others.  He  was  on  board  the  Niagara  in  1857,  and  again  in  both  the 
expeditions  of  1858 ;  and  on  the  flnal  success  of  the  cable,  prepared  a 
volume,  which  was  published  by  the  Appletons,  giving  a  history  of  the 
enterprise.  This  cortains  the  fullest  account  of  all  those  expeditions 
which  has  been  given  to  the  public.  I  have  had  frequent  occasion  to 
refer  to  his  book,  and  can  bear  witness  to  the  interest  of  the  narrative. 
It  is  written  with  spirit,  and  doubtless  'vould  have  had  a  longer  life,  if 
the  cable  Itself  had  not  come  t,o  an  untimely  end. 


li 


i! 


'( 


CROSSING  NEWFOUNDLAND. 


47 


of  Acadia  which  Longfellow  has  invested  with  such 
tender  interest  in  his  poem  of  Evangeline.  Thence  we 
crossed  the  Bay  of  Fundy  to  St.  John  in  New  Bruns- 
wick, and  returned  by  way  of  Portland. 

The  James  Adger  went  on  to  Newfoundland,  steer- 
ing first  for  Port  au  Basque,  near  Cape  Ray,  where 
they  hoped  to  meet  the  bark  which  was  to  come  from 
England  with  the  cable  on  board.  To  their  disap- 
pointment, it  had  not  arrived.  Mr.  Canning,  the 
engineer  who  was  to  la}'^  the  cable,  had  come  out  by 
steamer,  and  Avas  on  hand,  but  the  bark  was  not  to  be 
seen.  Having  to  wait  several  days,  and  Avishing  to 
make  the  most  of  their  time,  they  sailed  for  St.  John's, 
where  they  were  received  by  the  Provincial  Govern- 
ment and  the  people  with  unbounded  hospitality,  after 
which  they  returned  to  Port  au  Basque,  and  were  now 
rejoiced  to  discover  the  little  bark  hidden  behind  the 
rocks.  It  was  decided  to  land  the  cable  in  Cape  Ray 
Cove.  After  a  day  or  two's  delay  in  getting  the  end 
to  the  shore,  they  started  to  cross  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawrence,  the  Adger  towing  the  bark.  The  sea  was 
calm,  and  though  they  Avere  obliged  to  move  slowly,  yet 
all  promised  well,  till  they  were  about  half-way  across, 
Avhen  a  gale  arose,  which  pitched  the  bark  so  violently, 
that  with  its  unwieldy  bulk  it  was  in  great  danger  of 
sinking.  After  holding  on  for  hours  in  the  vain  hope 
that  it  would  abate,  the  captain  cut  the  cable  to  save 
the  bark;  and  thus,  after  they  had   paid   out  forty 


ii 


t»»WH\«l*«iM\»a'lfHll  lWiV»l<«*k 


48 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC   TELEGRAPH. 


-  '>i 


i  iV 


1 1 

h 


Ji 


? 


miles,  it  was  hopelessly  lost,  and  the  Adger  returned 
to  New  York. 

This  loss  was  owing  partly  to  the  severity  of  the 
gale,  and  partly  to  the  fact  that  the  bark  which  had 
the  cable  on  board  was  wholly  unfitted  for  the  pur- 
pose. It  was  a  sailing-vessel,  and  had  to  be  towed  by 
another  ship.  In  this  way  it  was  impossible  to  regu- 
late its  motion.  It  was  too  fast  or  too  slow.  It  was 
liable  to  be  swayed  by  the  sea,  now  giving  a  lurch 
ahead,  and  now  dragging  behind.  Experience  showed 
that  a  cable  should  always  be  laid  from  a  steam  vessel 
which  could  regulate  its  own  motion,  running  out 
freely  when  all  went  smoothly,  and  checking  its 
speed  instantly  when  it  was  necessary  to  ease  up  the 
strain,  or  to  pay  out  more  slack  to  fill  up  the  hollows 
of  the  sea. 

This  first  loss  of  a  submarine  cable  was  a  severe 
disappointment  to  the  Company.  It  postponed  the 
enterprise  for  a  whole  year.  To  make  a  new  cable 
would  require  several  months,  and  the  season  was  so 
far  advanced  that  it  could  not  be  laid  before  another 
summer.  Was  it  strange  if  some  of  the  little  band 
began  to  ask  if  they  had  not  lost  enough,  and  to 
reason  that  it  was  better  to  stop  where  they  were, 
than  to  go  on  still  farther,  casting  their  treasures  into 
the  sea  ? 

But  there  was  in  that  little  company  a  spirit  of  hope 
and  determination  that  could  not  be  subdued;   that 


n^  ■..-Ut.  j.i»l  «■■- Jii*-- 


CROSSING  NEWFOUNDLAND. 


49 


ever  cried :  "  Once  more  unto  the  breach,  good  friends ! " 
After  some  deliberation,  it  was  resolved  to  renew  the 
attempt.  Mr.  Field  again  sailed  for  England  to  order 
another  cable,  which  was  duly  made  and  sent  out  the 
following  summer.  This  time,  warned  by  experience, 
the  Company  invited  no  party  and  made  no  display. 
The  cable  was  i)laced  on  board  a  steamer  fitted  for  the 
purpose ;  from  which  it  was  laid  without  accident,  and 
remained  in  perfect  working  order  for  nine  years. 

Meanwhile  the  work  on  land  had  been  pushed  for- 
ward Avithout  ceasing.  After  incredible  labor,  the 
Company  had  built  a  road  and  a  telegraph  from  one 
end  of  Newfoundland  to  the  other,  four  hundred  miles ; 
and,  as  if  that  were  not  enough,  had  built  also  an- 
other line,  one  hundred  and  fort}'  miles  in  length,  in 
t!  3  island  of  Cape  Breton.  The  first  part  of  their 
work  was  now  done.  The  telegraph  had  been  carried 
beyond  the  United  States  through  the  British  Prov- 
inces to  St.  John's  in  Newfoundland,  a  distance  from 
New  York  of  over  one  thousand  miles. 

The  cost  of  the  line,  thus  far,  had  been  about  a 
million  of  dollars,  and  of  this  tlie  whole  burden,  with 
but  trifling  exceptions,  had  fallen  upon  the  original 
projectors — Mr.  Field  having  put  in  over  two  hundred 
thousand  dollars  in  money— and  ^Iv.  Coo^jcr,  ]\[r. 
Taylor,  and  Mr.  Eoberts.  each  a  little  less.  No  other 
contributors  beyond  the  six  original  subscribers  had 
come,  except  Professor  Morse,  Mr.  Robert  AV.  Low- 
4 


I 


50 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


h'iM 


ber,  Mr.  Wilson  G.  Hunt,  and  Mr.  John  W.  Brett. 
The  list  of  directors  and  officers  remained  as  it  was 
at  first,  except  that  this  year,  1856,  Mr.  White  died, 
and  his  place  as  director  was  filled  by  Mr.  Hunt,  and 
that  Mr.  Field  was  chosen  Vice-President,  and  Mr. 
Lowber  Secretary.  In  all  the  operations  of  the  Com- 
pany thus  far,  the  various  negotiations,  the  plan  of  the 
work,  the  ovei'sight  of  its  execution,  and  the  corre- 
spondence with  the  officers  and  others,  mainly  devolved 
upon  Mr.  Field. 

And  so  at  length,  after  two  long  and  weary  years, 
these  bold  projectors  had  accomplished  half  their  work. 
They  had  passed  over  the  land,  and  under  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence,  and  having  reached  the  farthest  point 
of  the  American  coast,  they  now  stood  upon  the  cliffs 
of  Newfoundland,  looking  off  upon  the  wide  sea. 


Il 

i 
( 

:  i 

IE 


CHAPTER  V. 


THE   UKEP-8EA   SOUNDINGS. 


When  a  landsman,  born  far  away  among  the  moun- 
tains, comes  down  to  the  coast,  and  stands  for  the  first 
time  on  the  shore  of  the  sea,  it  excites  in  him  a  feeUng 
of  awe  and  wonder,  not  unmingled  with  terror.  There 
it  lies,  a  level  surface,  with  nothing  that  lifts  up  its 
head  like  a  peak  of  his  native  hills.  And  yet  it  is  so 
vast,  stretching  away  to  the  horizon,  and  all  over  the 
sides  of  the  round  world ;  Avith  its  tides  and  currents 
that  sweep  from  the  equator  to  the  pole;  with  its 
unknown  depths  and  its  ceaseless  motion;  that  it  is 
to  him  the  highest  emblem  of  majesty  and  of  power — 
a  not  unworthy  symbol  of  God  himself. 

In  proportion  to  its  mystery  is  the  terror  which 
hangs  over  it.  A  vague  dread  always  surrounds  the 
unknown.  And  what  so  unknown  as  the  deep,  un- 
fathomable sea  ?  For  thousands  of  years  the  sails  of 
ships,  like  winged  birds,  have  skimmed  over  it,  yet 
it  has  remained  the  one  thing  in  nature  beyond  alike 
man's  knowledge  and  his  power : 

Man  marks  the  earth  with  ruin, 
His  control  stops  with  the  shore. 


dd 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


!:i 


And  the  little  that  has  been  known  of  the  ocean 
has  been  chiefly  of  its  surface,  of  the  winds  that  blow 
over  it,  and  the. waves  that  are  lifted  up  on  high.  We 
knew  somewhat  of  its  tides  and  currents  as  observed 
in  different  parts  of  the  earth.  We  saw  off  our  coast 
the  great  Gulf  Stream — that  steady  flow  of  Avaters,  so 
mighty  and  mysterious,  which,  issuing  out  of  the  trop- 
ical regions,  poured  its  warm  current,  sixty  miles 
broad,  right  through  the  cold  waters  of  the  North 
Atlantic  ;  and  sweeping  round,  sent  the  airs  of  a  softer 
climate  over  all  the  countries  of  Western  Europe. 
Old  voyagers  told  us  of  the  trade-winds  that  blew 
across  the  Pacific,  and  of  terrible  monsoons  in  China 
and  Indian  seas.  But  all  that  did  not  reveal  Avhat 
Avas  going  on  a  hundred  fathoms  below  the  surface. 
These  old  sailors  had  marvellous  tales  of  Indian  pearl- 
divers,  who,  holding  their  breath,  plunged  to  the  depth 
of  a  few  hundred  feet;  but  they  came  up  half-dead, 
Avith  but  little  to  tell  except  of  the  frightful  monsters 
of  the  deep.  The  diving-bell  was  let  down  over 
sunken  wrecks,  but  the  divers  came  up  onlj^  with  tales 
of  riches  and  ruin,  of  gold  and  gems  and  dead  men's 
bones  that  lay  mingled  together  on  the  deep  sea  floor. 
Was  the  bottom  of  the  sea  all  like  this?  Was  it  a 
vast  realm  of  death,  the  sepulchre  of  the  world  ?  No 
man  could  tell  us.  Poets  might  sing  of  the  caves  of 
ocean,  but  no  eye  of  science  had  yet  penetrated  those 
awful  depths,  Avhich  the  storms  never  reach. 


r 


r:u=a..rji-.Ttr^:r.rr; 


r:-=B='fi3f;t;;ics^^ 


THE   DEEP-SEA  SOUNDINGS. 


58 


It  is  indeed  marvellous  how  little  was  known,  up  to 
a  very  recent  date,  of  the  true  character  of  the  ocean. 
Xavigators  had  often  tried  to  find  out  how  deep  it 
was.  When  lying  becalmed  on  a  tranquil  sea,  they 
had  amused  themselves  b}''  letting  down  a  long  line, 
weighted  with  a  cannon-ball,  to  see  if  thev  could 
touch  bottom.  But  the  results  were  very  uncertain. 
Sometimes  the  line  ran  out  for  miles  and  miles,  but 
whether  it  was  all  the  while  descending,  or  was  swayed 
hither  and  thither  by  mighty  under-currents,  could  not 
be  known. 

But  this  true  character  of  the  ocean  it  was  neces- 
sary to  determine,  before  it  could  be  possible  to 
pass  the  gulf  of  the  Atlantic.  "What  was  there  on 
the  bottom  of  the  sea,  where  the  cable  was  to  find 
its  resting  place?  "Was  that  ocean-bed  a  wide  level 
plain,  or  had  it  been  heaved  up  by  volcanic  forces 
into  a  hundred  mountain-peaks,  with  many  a  gorge 
and  precipice  between?  Such  Avas  the  character  of 
a  part  of  the  basin  of  the  ocean.  Here  and  there, 
all  over  the  globe,  are  islands,  like  the  Peak  of 
Teneriffe,  thrown  up  in  some  fierce  bursting  of  the 
crust  of  our  planet,  that  shoot  up  in  tremendous  cliffs 
from  the  sea.  "Who  shall  say  that  the  same  cliffs  do 
not  shoot  down  below  the  waves  a  thousand  fathoms 
deep?  And  might  there  not  be  such  islands,  which 
did  not  show  their  heads  above  the  surface,  Ijn'no-  in 
the  track  between  Europe  and  America ;  or  perchance 


54 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


a  succession  of  mountain  ranges,  over  which  the  cable 
would  have  to  be  stretched,  and  where  hanging  from 
the  heights  it  would  swing  with  the  tide,  till  at  last  it 
snapped  and  fell  into  the  abyss  below  ?  Such  at  least 
were  possible  dangers  to  be  encountered ;  and  it  was 
not  safe  to  advance  a  step  till  the  basin  of  the  North 
Atlantic  was  explored. 

The  progress  of  invention,  so  rapid  on  land,  at 
length  found  a  way  of  penetrating  the  sea,  and  even 
of  turning  up  its  bottom  to  the  gaze  of  men.  To 
measure  the  depth  with  something  like  mathemati- 
cal accuracy,  an  instrument  Avas  introduced  known 
among  nautical  men  as  Massey's  Indicator,  the  method 
of  which  is  very  clearly  explained  in  an  article  which 
appeared  in  one  of  the  New  York  papers,  (The  Times,) 
on  the  deep-sea  soundings  made  for  the  Atlantic  Tele- 
graph : 

' '  The  old  system  is  with  a  small  line,  marked  at  distances 
of  one  hundred  fathoms,  and  Avith  a  weight  of  thirty  or  fifty 
pounds,  the  depth  being  told  by  the  length  of  line  run  out. 
This  is,  of  course,  the  most  natural  apparatus  that  suggests 
itself,  and  has  been  in  use  from  the  earliest  ages.  Experi- 
ence has  given  directions  for  its  use,  avoiding  some  of  the 
grosser  causes  of  error  from  driftage  and  other  causes.  Yet 
its  success  in  immense  ocean  depths  is  problematical,  and 
a  problem  decided  in  the  negative  by  many  of  the  first  scien- 
tific authorities  at  home  and  abroad.  In  the  mechanical 
improvements  of  the  last  half-century  substitutes  for  this 
simple  but  rather  uncertain  method  began  to  be  devised.     It 


Brooke's  beep  sea  sorNDiNO  apparatus. 


A  shows  the  instrument  ready  for  sounding.  It  is  very  sim- 
ple, consisting  only  of  a  cannon-ball,  pierced  with  an  iron  rod, 
and  held  in  its  place  by  slings.  As  the  ball  goes  down  swiftly, 
it  drives  the  rod  into  the  bottom  like  the  point  of  a  spear,  wiien 
an  opening  at  the  end  catches  xbe  ooze  in  its  iron  lips.  The 
same  instant  (see  B)  the  slings  loosen,  the  ball  drops  off,  and 
the  naked  rod,  C,  with  its  "bite  "  is  drawn  up  to  the  surface. 


66 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


t 


■  at 


was  proposed  to  ascertain  the  depth  by  tlie  amount  of  pres- 
sure, or  by  explosions  under  water,  witli  other  equally  im- 
practicable plans.  At  last  was  noticed  the  jjerfect  regularity 
of  the  movements  of  a  spirally-shaped  wheel,  on  being-  drawn 
through  the  water.  Experiments  proved  that  this  regular- 
ity, when  unaffected  by  other  causes,  could  bo  relied  on  with 
perfect  accuracy,  and  that  an  arrangement  of  cog-wheels 
would  register  its  revolutions  with  niathetnatical  ])recision. 
Very  soon  it  came  in  use  as  a  ship's  log.  So  perfect  was 
their  precision,  that  they  were  even  introduced  in  scientific 
surveys.  Base  lines,  where  the  nicest  accuracy  is  required, 
were  run  with  them,  and  we  have  the  highest  authority  of 
the  Royal  Navy  for  believing  that  they  never  failed.  At 
this  point  it  was  proposed  to  apply  them  in  a  perpen- 
dicular as  well  as  in  a  horizontal  niotion  through  the  water, 
Massey's  apparatus  promising  to  solve  those  problems  of 
submarine  geography  left  unsolved  by  the  old  method  of 
obtaining  depth  with  a  simple  line  and  sinker,  and  this  more 
especially  as  some  causes  of  error,  considerable  on  the  sur- 
face, disappear  in  the  still  water  below," 

To  make  our  kno^vledge  of  the  sea  complete,  one 
thing  more  was  wanting — a  method  not  only  of  reach- 
ing the  bottom,  but  of  laying  hold  of  it,  and  bringing 
it  up  to  the  light  of  day.    This  was  now  to  be  supplied. 

It  is  to  the  inventive  genius  of  a  lieutenant  of  the 
United  States  navy,  Mr.  J.  M.  Brooke,  that  the  world 
owes  the  means  of  finding  out  what  is  at  the  bottom 
of  the  sea.  This  is  by  a  very  simple  contrivance,  by 
which  the  heavy  weight,  used  to  sink  the  measuring 
line,  is  detached  as  soon  as  it  strikes  bottom,  leaving  the 


;'»niffiis~ffi77aoiyiiS8y<>Maigwi 


THE  DEEP-SEA  SOUNDINGS. 


6T 


line  free  so  that  it  can  be  drawn  ui)  lightly  and  quickly 
to  the  surface  witliout  danger  of  breaking.  Below  the 
weijrht,  and  driven  by  it  into  tiie  ooze,  is  a  rod,  in 
which  is  an  open  valve,  that  now  closes  with  a  spring, 
by  which  it  catches  a  cupful  of  the  soil,  which  is  thus 
brought  up  to  the  surface,  to  be  placed  under  the 
niici^oscope,  and  be  subjected  to  the  sharp  eye  of 
science.  With  this  simple  instrument  the  skilful  sea- 
man explores  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  by  literally 
feeling  over  it.  With  a  long  line  he  dives  to  the  very 
lowest  depths,  while  the  clasp  at  the  end  of  it  is  like 
the  tip  of  the  elephant's  trunk,  serving  as  a  delicate 
finger  with  which  he  picks  up  sand  and  shells  that  lie 
strewn  on  the  floor  of  the  deep.  What  important  con- 
clusions are  derived  from  this  inspection  of  the  bottom 
of  the  sea,  is  well  stated  by  Lieutenant  Maury  in  the 
letter  already  quoted. 

In  happy  concurrence  with  this,  as  an  additional 
preparation,  a  partial  survey  of  the  Atlantic  had  been 
made  the  ver}'^  year  before  this  enterprise  was  begun, 
in  1853.  Lieutenant  Berryman  was  the  first  wlio 
applied  this  new  method  of  taking  deep-sea  soundings 
to  that  part  of  the  Atlantic  lying  between  Newfound- 
land and  Ireland,  with  results  most  surprising  and  sat- 
isfactory. But  to  remove  all  doubt  it  seemed  desirable 
to  have  a  fresh  survey.  To  obtain  this,  Mr.  Field 
went  to  AVashington  and  applied  to  the  Government  in 
behalf  of  the  Company  for  a  second  expedition. 


68 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


The  request  wjis  granted,  and  the  Arctic,  under  com- 
mand of  the  same  galhint  Lieutenant  Berryman,  was 
assiji^ned  to  this  service.  He  sailed  from  New  York 
on  tlic  cighteentli  of  July,  1850,  and  the  very  next  day 
Mr.  Field  left  on  the  Baltic  for  England,  to  organize 
the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company.  The  Arctic  pro- 
ceeded to  St.  John's,  and  thence  with  a  clear  eye  and 
a  steady  hand,  this  true  sailor  went  "  sounding  on  his 
dim  and  perilous  way"  across  the  deep.  In  about 
three  weeks  he  made  the  coast  of  Irelami,  having  car- 
ried his  survey  along  the  great  circle  arc,  which  the 
telegraph  was  to  follow  as  the  nearest  path  from  the 
old  world  to  the  new.  The  result  fully  confirmed  his 
belief  of  the  existence  of  a  great  plateau  underneath 
the  ocean,  extending  all  the  way  from  one  hemisphere 
to  the  other. 

I  cannot  take  leave  of  the  name  of  this  gallant 
officer,  who  rendered  such  services  to  science  and  to 
his  country,  without  a  word  of  tribute  to  his  memory. 
Lieutenant  Berryman  is  in  his  grave.  He  died  in  the 
navy  of  his  country,  worn  out  by  his  devotion  to 
her  service.  "When  the  great  civil  war  broke  out,  he 
was  placed  in  a  position  most  painful  to  a  man  of  large 
heart,  who  loved  at  once  his  country  and  the  state  in 
which  he  was  born.  He  was  a  Southerner,  a  native 
of  "Winchester,  Va.,  and  was  assigned  to  duty  in  the 
South.  At  the  first  attack  on  Southern  forts  and 
arsenals,  he  was  in  command  of  the  "Wyandotte,  in  the 


■ij 


^ssssssss 


mVumtTi'MMi'lii':^'  ji'imiiL ijtiiwriiiwiaitiiwijijiSijjjIy 


THE  DKEP-SEA  SOUNDINGS. 


00 


harbor  of  Ponsacola,  in  Florida.  Ilis  otflcors,  who 
were  nearly  all  Southci'nei's,  wore  in  secret  sympathy 
with  the  rebellion.  All  the  influences  around  him, 
both  on  ship  and  on  shore,  were  such  as  might  have 
seduced  a  weaker  man  from  his  loyalty.  But,  to  his 
honor,  he  never  hesitated  for  a  moment.  lie  stood 
firm  and  loyal  to  his  flag.  Not  knowing  whom  to 
trust,  he  had  to  keep  watch  day  and  night  against 
surprise  and  treachery.  It  was  the  testimony  of  Lieu- 
tenant Slommer,  then  in  command  of  Foit  Pickens, 
that  but  for  the  ceaseless  exertions  of  Lieutenant  Ber- 
ryman  not  only  the  ship  but  the  fort  would  have 
been  lost.  But  this  service  to  his  country  cost  him 
his  life.  His  constant  exertions  brought  on  a  brain 
fever,  of  which  he  died.  Ilis  wife,  also  a  native  of 
Winchester,  when  the  war  came  near  her  early  home, 
removed  to  Baltimore,  saying  that  "she  would  n(jt 
live  under  any  other  flag  than  that  under  which  her 
husband  had  lived  and  died." 

It  was  to  the  honor  of  the  American  navy,  to  have 
led  the  way  in  these  deep-sea  soundings.  But  after 
this  second  voyage  of  exploration,  Mr.  Field  applied  to 
the  Britisli  Admiralty,  "  to  make  what  further  sound- 
ings might  be  necessary  between  Ireland  and  New- 
foundland, and  to  verify  those  made  by  Lieutenant 
Berryman."  It  was  in  response  to  this  application  that 
the  Government  sent  out  tlie  following  year  a  vessel  to 
make  still  another  survey  of  the  same  ocean-path.    This 


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60 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


was  the  steamer  Cyclops,  which  was  placed  under  Lieu- 
tenant Commander  Josepli  Dayman,  of  the  British 
navy,  an  officer  who  had  been  with  Captain  Sir  James 
Ross  when  he  made  his  deejKsea  soundings  in  the  South 
Atlantic  in  1S40,  where  he  attained  a  depth  of  twenty- 
six  hundred  and  sixty -seven  fathoms ;  and  who  by  his 
intelligence  and  zeal,  was  admirablv  fitted  for  the  work. 
To  speak  now  of  this  third  survey,  is  anticijjating  in 
time.  But  it  will  serve  the  purpose  of  unity  and  clear- 
ness in  the  narrative,  to  inclu'"  all  these  deep-sea  sound- 
ings in  one  chapter.  He  Avas  directed  to  proceed  to  the 
harbor  of  Valentia  in  Ireland,  and  thence  to  follow,  as 
nearly  as  possible,  along  the  arc  of  a  great  circle  to 
Newfoundland.  "  The  soundings  for  the  first  few 
miles  from  the  coast  should  be  fi-equent,  decreasing  as 
you  draw  off  shore." 

These  orders  were  thoroughly  executed.  Every 
pains  was  taken  to  make  the  information  obtained 
precise  and  exact.  AVhenever  a  sounding  was  to  be 
taken,  the  ship  was  hove  to,  and  the  bow  kept  as  neai'ly 
ab  possible  in  the  same  spot,  so  that  the  line  might  de- 
scend perpendicularly.  This  was  rej)eated  every  few 
miles  until  they  had  got  far  out  into  the  Atlantic, 
where  the  general  equality  of  the  depths  rendered  it 
necessarv  to  cast  the  line  onlv  everv  twentv  or  thirtv 
miles.  Tims  the  survey  Avas  nuule  complete,  and  the 
results  obtained  were  of  the  greatest  value  in  determin- 
ing the  physical  geography  of  the  sea. 


qplf 


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THE  DEEP-SEA  SOUNDirGS.  41 

Tlie  copclusions  of  CornmaTider  Dayman  confirmed 
in  general  tliose  of  Lieutenant  Berryraan,  thougii  in 
comparing  tlie  charts  prepared  by  the  two,  we  observe 
some  differences  wiiicli  ought  to  be  noticed.  l-Soth 
agree  as  to  the  general  character  of  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean  along  this  latitude — tliat  it  is  a  vast  plain,  like 
the  steppes  of  Siberia.  Yet  on  the  chart  of  Dayman 
the  floor  of  the  sea  seems  not  s^ieh  a  dead  level  as  on 
that  of  Berryman.  (This  may  be  partly  owing  to  a 
difference  of  route,  as  Dayman  passed  a  little  to  the 
north  of  the  track  of  Berryraan.)  There  are  more 
unequal  depths,  which  in  the  small  space  of  a  chart, 
appear  like  hills  and  valleys.  Yet  when  we  consider 
the  wide  distances  passed  over,  these  inequalities  seem 
not  srreater  than  the  undulations  on  our  Western 
prairies.  "This  space,"  says  Dayman,  "has  been 
named  by  Maury  the  telegra.phic  plateau,  and  although 
by  multiplying  the  soundings  upon  it,  we  have  depths 
ranging  from  fourteen  hundred  and  fifty  to  twenty-four 
hundred  fathoms,  these  are  comparatively  small  ine- 
qualities in  its  surface,  and  present  no  new  difficulty  to 
the  project  of  laying  the  cable  across  the  ocean.  Their 
importance  vanishes  when  the  extent  of  the  space  over 
which  they  are  distributed  (thirty  degrees  of  longitude) 
is  considered," 

Accordino-  to  Berrvman  and  Dayman  both,  the  ocean 
in  its  deepest  part  on  this  plateau.  measur.<^d  but  two 
thousand  and  three  or  four  hundred  fathoms,  or  about 


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THE  DEEP-SEA  SOUNDINGS. 


63 


fourteen  thousand  feet — a  depth  of  but  little  over  two 
and  a  half  miles.  This  is  not  great,  compared  with 
the  enormous  depths  in  other  parts  of  the  Atlantic  ;* 
yet  that  it  is  something  may  be  realized  from  the  fact 
that  if  the  Peak  of  Teneriffe  were  iiere  "cast  into 
the  sea,"  it  Avould  sink  out  of  sight,  island,  mountain 
and  all,  while  even  the  lofty  head  of  Mont  Blanc 
would  be  lifted  but  a  few  hundred  feet  above  the 
waves. 

The  only  exception  to  this  uniform  deptli,  lies  about 
two  hundred  miles  off  the  coast  of  Ireland,  where 
within  a  space  of  about  a  dozen  miles,  tlie  dcptli  sinks 
from  five  hundred  and  fifty  io  s<n'enteen  liundred  and 
fifty  fathoms!  '"In  14°  48'  west,"  says  Dayman,  "  we 
have  five  hundred  and  fifty  fathoms  rock,  and  in  15°  6' 
west  we  have  seventeen  hundred  and  fifty  fatlioins 
ooze.     This  is  the  greatest  dip  in  the  whole  ocean." 

*  "The  ocean  bed  of  the  North  Atlantic  is  a  curious  study  ;  in  some 
parts  furrowed  l>y  currents,  in  others  presenting  banl<s,  the  accumula- 
tions perliaps  of  tlie  debris  of  these  ocean  rivers  during  countless  ages. 
To  the  west,  the  Gulf  Stream  pours  along  in  a  bed  from  one  mile  to  a 
mile  and  a  half  in  depth.  To  the  east  of  this,  and  soulli  of  tlie  Great 
Banks,  is  a  basin,  eight  or  ten  degrees  square,  where  the  bottom  attains 
a  ereuter  depression  than  perhaps  the  highest  peaks  of  the  Andes  or 
HlmalayjiP— sixmllesof  line  have  failed  lo  reach  the  bottom  1  Taking  a 
profile  of  the  Atlantic  basin  in  our  own  latitude,  we  find  a  far  greater 
depression  than  any  ninintain  elevation  on  our  own  continent.  Fon'-  or 
five  Allcghiinles  wouM  have  to  be  piled  on  each  other,  and  on  them  added 
Fremont's  Peak,  before  their  point  wc  'il  "-tujw  itself  above  the  surface. 
Between  the  Azores  and  the  niouih  of  ',  ^  '.'  agus  tills  decreases  to  about 
three  miles." 


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STORY  OF  TIIH  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


"In  little  more  thnn  ten  miles  of  distance  a  change 
of  depth  occurs,  amounting  to  seventy-two  hundred 
feet."  This  is  indeed  a  tremendous  plunge  from  the 
hard  rock  into  the  sliuio  of  the  sea. 

The  same  sharp  declivity  Avas  noticed  hy  Eerryman, 
and  has  been  observed  in  the  several  attempts  to  lay 
the  cable.  Thus  in  the  second  expedition  of  1858,  as 
the  Agamemnon  was  approaching  the  coast  of  Ireland, 
"\vo  read  in  the  report  of  her  voyage :  "  About  five 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  steep  submarine  mountain 
Avhich  divides  the  telegraphic  plateau  from  the  Irish 
coast,  was  reached ;  and  the  sudden  shallowing  of  the 
Avater  had  a  very  nuirked  effect  on  the  cable,  causino- 
the  strain  on,  and  the  speed  of  it,  to  lessen  every  min- 
ute. ."  great  deal  of  slack  was  paid  out  to  allow  for 
inequalities  which  might  exist,  though  undiscovered  by 
the  sounding-line." 

This  submarine  mountam  Avas  then  regarded  as  the 
chief  point  of  dangei*  in  the  whole  bed  of  the  Atlantic, 
and  as  the  principal  source  of  anxiety  in  laying  a  cable 
across  the  ocean.  Yet,  after  all,  the  ascent  or  descent 
of  less  than  a  mile  and  a  half  in  ten  miles,  is  not  an 
impassable  grade.  More  recent  soundings  reduce  tliis 
still  farther.  Captain  Iloskins,  of  the  Ttoyal  NaAy, 
afterAvards  made  a  more  careful  survi>y  of  this  precipi- 
tous sea  bottom,  and  with  results  much  more  favorable. 
The  side  of  the  mountain,  it  is  now  said,  is  not  very 
much  steeper  than  llolborn  Hill  in  London,  or  Murray 


% 


THE  DEEP-SEA  SOUNDINGS. 


86 


Hill  in  New  York.*  But  the  best  answer  to  fears  on 
this  point,  is  the  fact  that  in  1S57,  185S,  and  1865,  the 
cable  passed  over  it  without  difficulty.  In  1857  tlie 
Niagara  was  a  hundred  miles  farther  to  sea,  when 
the  cable  broke.  In  1865  the  strain  was  not  increased 
more  than  a  hundred  pounds.  In  the  final  expedition, 
that  of  1866,  this  declivity  waa  passed  over  without 
difficulty  or  danger. 

Next  to  the  depth  of  the  ocean,  it  was  important  to 
ascertain  the  nature  of  its  bottom.  What  was  it— a 
vast  bed  of  rock,  the  iron-bound  crust  of  the  globe, 
hardened  by  internal  fires,  and  which,  bending  as  a 


*  The  results  obtained  are  thus  summed  up  in  the  London  Times  : 
"  The  dangerous  part  of  this  course  has  liitlierto  been  supposed  to 
be  the  sudden  dip  or  bank  which  occurs  off  the  west  coast  of  Ireland, 
where  tlie  water  was  supposed  to  deepen  in  the  course  of  a  few  miles 
from  about  three  hundred  fathoms  to  nearl}-  two  thousand.  Such  a  rapid 
descent  has  naturally  been  regarded  with  alarm  by  telegraphic  engineers, 
and  this  alarm  has  led  to  a  most  careful  sounding  survey  of  the  whole 
supposed  hank  by  Captain  Dayman,  acting  under  the  instructions  of  the 
Admiralty.  The  result  of  this  shows  that  the  supposed  pret'ipitous 
bank,  or  submarine  cliff,  is  a  gradual  slope  of  nearly  sixty  miles.  Over 
this  long  slope  the  dilterence  between  its  greatest  height  and  greatest 
depth  is  only  eighty-seven  hundred  and  sixty  feet ;  so  that  tlie  average 
Incline  is,  in  round  numbers,  about  one  hundred  and  forty-five  feet  per 
mile.  A  good  gradient  on  a  railway  is  now  generally  considered  to  be 
one  ill  one  hundred  feet,  or  about  fifty-three  in  a  mile ;  so  that  the  in- 
cline on  this  supposed  bank  is  ou\y  about  three  times  that  of  un  orrlinary 
railway.  In  fact,  as  far  as  soundings  can  demonstrate  any  thing,  there 
are  few  slopes  in  the  bed  of  the  Atlantic  as  steep  as  that  of  Holborn 
Hill.  In  no  part  is  the  bottom  rocky,  and  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
miles,  which  are  sliingly,  only  ooze,  mud,  or  sand  is  to  be  found." 
5 


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66 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


■■!•! 


11: 
III 


>r. 


.  !  ; 


vault  over  the  still  glowing  centre  of  the  earth,  bore 
up  on  its  mighty  arches  the  weight  of  all  the  oceans  ? 
or  was  it  mere  sand  like  the  sea-shore  ?  or  ooze  as  soft 
as  that  of  a  mill-pond  ?  The  pressure  of  a  column  of 
water  two  miles  iiigh  would  be  equal  to  that  of  four 
hundred  atmospheres.  Would  not  this  weight  alone 
be  enough  to  crush  anv  substance  that  could  reach 
that  tremendous  depth  i  These  were  questions  which 
remained  to  be  answered,  but  on  which  depended  the 
possibility  of  laying  a  cable  at  the  bottom  of  the  At- 
lantic. 

By  the  ingenious  contrivance  of  Lieutenant  Brooke, 
the  problem  was  solved,  for  Ave  got  hold  of  fragments 
of  the  under-coating  of  the  sea ;  and  to  our  amazement, 
instead  of  finding  the  ocean  bound  round  with  thick 
ribs  of  granite,  its  inner  lining  was  found  to  be  soft  as 
a  silken  vest.  The  soil  brought  up  from  the  bottom 
was  not  even  of  the  hardness  of  sand  or  gravel.  It 
was  mere  ooze,  like  that  of  our  rivers,  and  Avas  as  soft 
.'IS  the  moss  that  clings  to  old,  damp  stones  on  the 
rivers  brink.  At  first  it  Avas  thought  bv  Lieutenant 
Berryman  to  be  common  clay,  but  being  carefully  pre- 
served, and  subjected  to  a  poAverful  microscope,  it  Avas 
found  to  be  composed  of  shells,  too  small  to  be  discov- 
ered by  the  naked  eye ! 

This  Avas  a  revelation  of  the  myriad  forms  of  ani- 
mated existence  which  fill  the  sea  :  a  jilenitude  of  life 
that  is  more  Avonderful  bv  contrast.     As  Maurv  Avell 


THE  DEEP-SEA  SOUNDINGS. 


67 


puts  it :  "  The  ocean  teems  with  life,  we  know.  Of  the 
four  elements  of  the  old  philosophers — fire,  earth,  air, 
and  water — perhaps  the  sea  most  of  all  abounds  with 
living  creatures.  The  space  occupied  on  the  surface  of 
our  planet  by  the  different  families  of  animals  and  their 
remains-  are  inversely  as  the  size  of  the  individual. 
The  smaller  the  animal,  the  greater  the  space  occupied 
by  his  remains.  Take  the  elephant  and  his  remains,  or 
a  microscopic  animal  and  his,  and  compare  them.  The 
contrast,  as  to  space  occupied,  is  as  striking  as  that  of 
the  coral  reef  or  island  with  the  dimensions  of  the 
whale.  The  graveyard  that  would  hold  the  corallines 
is  larger  than  the  graveyard  that  would  hold  the  ele- 
phants,"* 

These  little  creatures,  whose  remains  were  thus 
found  at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  probably  did  not 
live  there,  for  there  all  is  dark,  and  shells,  like  flowers, 
need  the  light  and  warmth  of  the  all-reviving  sun.  It 
was  their  sepulchre,  but  not  their  dwelling-place. 
ProbaI)ly  they  lived  near  the  surface  of  the  ocean, 
and  after  their  short  life,  sunk  to  the  tranquil  waters 
below.  What  a  work  of  life  and  death  had  been  going 
on  for  ages  in  the  depths  of  the  sea !  Myriads  upon 
myriads,  ever  since  the  morning  of  creation,  had  been 
falling  like  snow-flakes,  till  their  remains  literally  cov- 
ered the  bottom  of  the  deep. 

Equally  significant  was  the  fact   that  these  shells 

*  Physical  Geography  of  the  Sea. 


$ 


,1, 


68 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


* 


were  unbrohen.  Not  only  were  they  there,  but  pre- 
served in  a  perfect  form.  Organisms  the  most  minute 
and  deUcate,  fragile  as  drooping  flowers,  had  yet  sunk 
antl  slept  uninjured.  The  same  power  which  watches 
over  the  fall  of  a  sparrow  had  kept  these  frail  and 
tender  things,  and  after  their  brief  existence,  had  laid 
them  gently  on  the  bosom  of  the  mighty  mother  for 
their  eternal  rest. 

The  bearing  of  this  discovery  on  the  problem  of  a 
submarine  telegraph  was  obvious.  For  it  too  was  to 
lie  on  the  ocean-bed,  beside  and  among  these  relics 
that  had  so  long  been  drifting  down  upon  the  watery 
plain.  And  if  these  tiny  shells  slept  there  unharmed, 
surely  an  iron  chord  might  rest  there  in  safety.  There 
were  no  swift  currents  down  there ;  no  rushing  waves 
agitated  that  sunless  sea.  There  the  waters  moved 
not ;  and  there  might  rest  the  great  nerve  that  was  to 
pass  from  continent  to  continent.  And  so  far  as  injury 
from  the  surrounding  elements  was  concerned,  there  it 
might  remain,  whispering  the  thoughts  of  successive 
generations  of  men,  till  the  sea  should  give  up  its 
dead. 


n 

Mi 


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i 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THK    WORK   UKGUN    IN    KNOJ.AND. 

T^p  to  this  time  the  Telegraph,  which  was  destined 
t(.  pass  the  sea,  had  been  purely  an  American  enter- 
prise.    It  had  been  begun,  and  for  over  two  years  had 
been  carried  on,  wholly  by  American  capital.     "  Our 
little  company,"  said  Mr.  Field  ten  years  after,  "  raised 
and  expended  over  a  million  and  a  quarter  of  dollars 
before  an  Englishman  paid  a  single  pound  sterling." 
Mr.  Brett  was  the  first  one  to  take  a  few  shares.     But 
this  was  not  to  the  discredit  of  England,  for  the  Amer- 
ican public  had  done  no  better.     Not  a  dollar  had  been 
raised  this  side  the  Atlantic,  outside  of  the  little  circle 
in  which  the  scheme  had  its  origin.    No  stock  or  bonds 
were  put  upon  the  market;  no  man  was  asked  for  a 
subscription.     If  they  wanted  money,  they  drew  their 
checks  for  it.     At  one  time,  indeed,  two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  dollars  of  bonds  were  issued,  but  they 
were  at  once  taken  wholly  by  themselves.     But,  as  the 
time  was  now  come  when  the  long-meditated  attempt 
was  to  be  made  to  carry  the   Telegraph   across  the 
ocean,  it  was  fitting  that  Great  Britain,  whose  shores 


^i»  vtmiamjxMtaii 


70 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPn. 


it  wus  to  touch,  should  join  in  tho  work.  Accordingly, 
in  the  summer  of  1850,  iil'tor  finishing  all  that  ho  could 
do  in  America,  Mr.  Field  sailed  with  his  family  for 
England.  The  very  day  before  he  embarked,  he  had 
the  pleasure  to  see  his  friend,  Lieutenant  Jjei'iyman, 
off  on  his  second  vovage  to  make  sounding's  across 
the  Atlantic. 

In  London  he  sought  at  once  Mr.  Brett,  with  whom 
in  his  two  former  visits  to  England  he  had  already 
discussed  his  project,  and  found  in  him  a  hearty 
cooperator.  As  we  go  on  with  our  story,  it  is  a  mel- 
ancholy satisfaction  to  refer  to  one  and  another  worker 
in  this  enterprise,  who  lived  not  to  see  its  last  and 
greatest  triumph.  Mr.  Brett,  like  Berryman,  is  dead. 
But  he  did  not  go  to  his  grave  till  after  a  life  of  useful- 
ness and  honor.  He  was  one  of  the  men  of  the  new 
era — of  the  school  of  Stephenson  and  Brunei — who 
believed  in  the  marvellous  achievements  yet  to  be 
wrought  by  human  invention,  turning  to  the  service  of 
man  the  wonders  of  scientific  discovery.  He  was  one 
of  the  first  to  see  the  boundless  possibilities  of  the 
telegraph,  and  to  believe  tliat  what  had  passed  over 
the  land  might  pass  under  the  sea.  He  was  the  first 
to  lay  a  cable  across  the  British  Channel,  and  thus  to 
bring  into  instantaneous  communication  the  two  great 
capitals  of  Europe — an  achievement  which,  though 
small  compared  with  what  has  since  been  done,  was 
then  so  marvellous,  that  the  intelligence  of  its  success 


THE  WOUK  liHGL'N   IN    KNULAND. 


71 


was  received  with  sui-pi'iso  luul  inci'odulity.  Many 
could  not  and  would  not  believe  it.  Even  after  mes- 
sages were  received  in  Lcjndon  from  Paris,  there  were 
those  who  declared  that  it  was  an  imposition  on  the 
public,  with  as  much  proud  scorn  as  some  a  few  years 
later  scouted  the  verv  idea  that  a  niessau'e  had  ever 
passed  over  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  ! 

This  friendship  of  Mr.  Brett — both  to  the  enterprise 
and  to  Mr.  Field  personally — i-emained  to  the  last.  In 
every  voyage  to  England  the  latter  found — however 
others  doubted  or  (lesj)aired — that  Mr.  Brett  was  al- 
wa3's  the  same — full  of  hope  and  confidence.  In  18(54, 
when  they  met  in  London,  he  was  unshaken  in  faith, 
and  urgent  to  have  the  great  enter[)rise  renewed.  The 
triumph  was  not  far  off,  but  he  was  not  to  live  to  see  it. 
But,  though  he  passed  away  before  the  final  victory, 
he  did  his  part  toward  bringing  it  on,  and  no  his- 
tory of  this  great  enterprise  can  overlook  his  eminent 
services. 

To  Mr.  Brett,  therefore,  Mr.  Field  went  first  to  con- 
sult in  regard  to  his  project  of  a  telegraph  across 
the  ocean.  This  was  a  part  of  the  design  embraced  in 
the  original  organization  of  the  Ncav  Yofk,  Newfound- 
land, and  London  Telegraph  Company ;  and  when  Mr. 
Field  went  to  England,  he  was  empowered  to  receive 
subscriptions  to  that  Company,  so  as  to  enlarge  its 
capital,  and  thus  include  in  one  corporation  the  whole 
line  from  New  York  to  London ;  or  to  organize  a  new 


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STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


company,  which  should  lay  a  cable  across  the  Atlantic, 
and  there  join  the  Newfoundland  line. 

But  before  an  enterprise  so  vast  and  so  new  could  be 
commended  to  the  commercial  public  of  Great  Britain, 
there  were  many  details  to  be  settled.  The  mechanical 
and  scientific  problems  already  referred  to,  whether  a 
cable  could  b?  laid  across  the  ocean  ;  and  if  so,  whether 
it  could  be  worked,  were  to  be  considered  anew.  The 
opinions  of  Lieutenant  Maury  and  of  Professor  Morse 
were  published  in  England,  and  arrested  the  attention 
of  scientific  men.  But  John  Bull  is  slow  of  belief,  and 
asked  for  more  evidence.  The  thing  was  too  vast  to 
be  undertaken  rashly.  As  yet  there  was  no  experience 
to  decide  the  possibility  of  a  telegraph  across  the 
ocean.  The  longest  line  which  had  been  laid  was 
three  hundred  miles.  This  cr^ution,  which  is  a  national 
trait  of  Englishmen,  will  not  be  regarded  as  a  fault  by 
those  who  consider  that  in  proportion  as  they  are  slow 
to  embark  in  any  new  enterprise,  are  they  resolute  and 
determined  in  carrying  it  out. 

To  resolve  these  diflBoult  problems,  Mr.  Field  sought 
counsel  of  the  highest  engineering  authorities  of  Great 
Britain,  and  of  her  most  eminent  scientific  men.  To 
their  honor,  all  showed  the  deepest  interest  in  the 
project,  and  gave  it  freely  the  benefit  of  their  knowl- 
edge. 

First,  as  to  the  possibility  of  laying  a  cable  in  the 
deep  sea,  Mr.  Field  had  witnessed  one  attempt  of  the 


THE  WORK  BEGUN  IN  ENGLAND. 


73 


kind — that  in  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence  the  year  before 
— an  attempt  which  had  failed.  His  experience,  there- 
fore, was  not  encouraging.  If  they  found  so  much 
diflSculty  in  laying  a  cable  seventy  miles  long,  how 
could  they  hope  to  lay  one  of  two  thousand  miles  across 
the  stormy  Atlantic  ? 

This  was  a  question  for  the  engineers.  To  solve  the 
problem,  required  experiments  almost  without  number. 
It  was  now  that  the  most  important  services  were  ren- 
dered by  Glass,  Elliot  &  Co.,  of  London,  a  firm  which 
had  begun  within  a  few  years  the  manufacture  of  sea- 
cables,  and  was  to  write  its  name  in  all  the  waters  of 
the  world.  Aided  by  the  skill  of  their  admirable 
engineer,  Mr.  Canning,  they  now  manufactured  cables 
almost  without  end,  applying  to  them  every  possible 
test.  At  the  same  time,  Mr.  Field  took  counsel  of 
Robert  Stephenson  and  George  Parker  Bidder,  both  of 
whom  manifested  a  deep  interest  in  the  success  of  the 
enterprise. 

^ot  less  cordial  was  Mr.  Brunei,  who  made  many 
su  jgestions  in  regard  to  the  form  of  the  cable,  and  the 
manner  in  which  it  should  be  laid.  He  was  then 
building  the  Great  Eastern ;  and  one  day  he  took  Mr. 
Field  down  to  Blackwall  to  see  it,  and,  pointing  to  the 
monstrous  hull  which  Avas  rising  on  the  banks  of  the 
Thames,  said :  "  There  is  the  ship  to  lay  the  Atlantic 
cable!  "  Little  did  he  think  that  ten  years  after,  that 
ship  would  be  employed  in  this  service;   and  in  this 


74 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


final  victory  over  the  sea,  would  redeem  all  the  misfor- 
tunes of  her  earlier  career. 
/s<^Among  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered,  was  that  of 
finding  a  perfect  insulator.  Without  insulation,  tele- 
graphic communication  by  electricity  is  impossible. 
On  land,  Avhere  wires  are  carried  on  the  tops  of  poles, 
the  air  itself  is  a  sufficient  insulator.  A  few  glass 
rings  at  the  points  where  the  wire  passes  through  the 
iron  staples  by  which  it  is  supported,  and  the  insulation 
is  complete.  But  in  the  sea  the  electricity  Avould  be 
instantly  dissipated,  unless  some  material  could  be 
found  which  should  insulate  a  conductor  sunk  in  water, 
as  completely  as  if  it  were  raised  in  air.  But  what 
could  thus  inclose  the  lightning,  and  keep  it  fast  while 
flying  from  one  continent  to  the  othei  ? 

Here  again  it  seemed  as  if  Divine  wisdom  had  antici- 
pated the  coming  of  this  great  enterprise,  and  provided 
in  the  realm  of  nature  every  material  needed  for  its 
success.  It  was  at  least  a  happy  coincidence  that  only 
a  few  years  before  there  had  been  found,  in  the  forests 
of  the  Malayan  archipelago,  a  substance  till  then  un- 
known to  the  world,  but  which  answered  completely 
this  new  demand.  This  was  gutta-percha,  which  is 
impenetrable  by  water,  and  at  the  same  time  a  bad 
conductor  of  electricity ;  so  that  it  forms  at  once  a 
perfect  protection  and  insulation  to  a  telegraph  passing 
through  the  sea.  In  the  experiments  that  were  made 
to  test  the  value  of  this  material  in  the  grander  use  to 


THE  WORK  BEGUN  IN  ENGLAND. 


W 


which  it  was  to  be  applied,  no  man  rendered  greater 
service  than  Mr.  Samuel  Statham,  of  the  London  Gutta- 
percha Works — a  name  to  be  gratefully  remembered 
in  the  early  history  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph, 

The  mechanical  difficulties  removed,  and  the  insula- 
tion provided,  there  remained  yet  the  great  scientific 
problem :  Could  a  message  be  sent  two  thousand  miles 
under  the  Atlantic?  The  ingenuity  of  man  might 
devise  some  method  of  laying  a  cable  across  the  sea, 
but  of  what  use  were  it,  if  the  electric  current  should 
shrink  from  the  dark  abj'ss  ? 

It  was  in  prosecuting  inquiries  to  resolve  this  prob- 
lem, that  Mr.  Field  became  acquainted  with  two  gen- 
tlemen who  were  to  be  soon  after  associated  with  him 
in  the  organization  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company. , 
These  were  Mr.  Charles  T.  Bright,  afterward  knighted 
for  his  part  in  laying  the  Atlantic  cable  in  1858,  and 
Dr.  Edward  O.  Whitehouse,  both  well  known  in  Eng- 
land, the  former  as  an  engineer,  and  the  latter  for  his 
experiments  in  electro-magnetism,  as  applied  to  the 
business  of  telegrapliing.  He  had  invented  an  instru- 
ment by  which  to  ascertain  and  register  the  velocity  of 
electric  currents  through  submarine  cables.  Both  these 
gentlemen  were  full  of  the  ardor  of  science,  and  en- 
tered on  this  new  project  with  the  zeal  which  the 
prospect  of  so  great  a  triumph  might  inspire.  With 
them  was  now  to  be  associated  our  distinguished  coun- 
tryman, Professor  Morse.     Fortunately  he  was  at  this 


76 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


time  in  London,  and  gave  his  invaluable  aid  to  the 
experiments  which  were  made  to  determine  the  possi- 
bility of  telegraphic  communication  at  great  distances 
under  the  sea.  The  result  of  his  experiments  he  com- 
municates in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Field : 

"London,  Five  o'clock  a.  m,,  1 
"  October  3,  1856.  f 

"  My  dear  Sir  :  As  the  electrician  of  the  New  York, 
Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph  Company,  it  is  with 
the  highest  gratification  that  I  have  to  apprise  you  of  the 
result  of  our  experiments  of  this  morning  upon  a  single 
continuous  conductor  of  more  than  two  thousand  miles  in 
extent,  a  distance  you  will  perceive  sufficient  to  cross  the 
Atlantic  Ocean,  from  Newfoundland  to  Ireland. 

"The  admirable  arrangements  made  at  the  Magnetic  Tel- 
egraph Office  in  Old  Broad  street,  for  connecting  ten  subter- 
ranean gutta-pereha  insulated  conductors,  of  over  two  hun- 
dred miles  each,  so  as  to  give  one  continuous  length  of  more 
than  two  thousand  miles  during  the  hours  of  the  night,  when 
the  telegraph  is  not  commercially  employed,  furnished  us 
the  means  of  conclusively  settling,  by  actual  experiment, 
the  question  of  the  pi-acticability  as  well  as  the  practicality* 
of  telegraphing  through  our  proposed  Atlantic  cable. 

"  This  result  had  been  thi-ovvn  into  some  doubt  by  the  dis- 


*  Professor  Morse  was  fond  of  the  distinction  between  the  words 
practical  and  practicable.  A  thing  might  be  practicable,  that  is,  possible 
of  accomplishment,  when  it  was  not  a  practical  enterprise,  that  is,  one 
which  could  be  worked  to  advantage.  Fe  here  argues  that  the  Atlantic 
Telegraph  is  both  practicable,  (or  possible,;  and  at  the  same  time  a  wise, 
practical  undertaking. 


THE  WORK  BEGUN  IN  ENGLAND. 


r 


covery,  more  than  two  years  since,  of  certain  phenomena 
upon  subterranean  and  submarine  conductors,  and  had  at- 
tracted the  attention  of  electricians,  particularly  of  that  most 
eminent  philosopher,  Professor  Faraday,  and  that  clear- 
sighted investigutor  of  electrical  phenomena.  Dr.  White- 
house  ;  and  one  of  these  phenomena,  to  wit,  the  perceptible 
retardation  of  the  electric  current,  threatened  to  perplex  our 
operations,  and  required  careful  investigation  before  we 
could  pronounce  with  certainty  the  commercial  practicabil- 
ity of  the  Ocean  Telegraph. 

"I  am  most  happy  to  inform  you  that,  as  a  crowning 
result  of  a  long  series  of  experimental  investigation  and 
inductive  reasoning  upon  this  subject,  the  experiments  under 
the  direction  of  Dr.  Whitehouse  and  Mr.  Bright,  which  I 
witnessed  this  morning — in  which  the  induction  coils  and 
receiving  n.agnets,  as  modified  by  these  gentlemen,  were 
made  to  actuate  one  of  my  recording  instruments — have 
most  satisfactorily  resolved  all  doubts  of  the  practicability  as 
well  as  practicality  of  operating  the  telegraph  from  New- 
foundland to  Ireland. 

"Although  we  telegraphed  signals  at  the  rate  of  two 
hundred  and  ten,  two  hundred  and  forty-one,  and,  according 
to  the  count  at  one  time,  even  of  two  liundred  and  seventy 
per  minute  upon  my  telegraphic  register,  (which  speed,  you 
will  perceive,  is  at  a  rate  commercially  advantageous,)  these 
results  were  accomplished  notwithstanding  many  disadvan- 
tages in  our  arrangements  of  a  temporary  and  local  charac- 
ter— disadvantages  which  will  not  occur  in  the  use  of  our 
submarine  cable. 

"Having  passed  the  whole  night  with  my  active  and 
agreeable  collaborators.  Dr.  Whitehouse  and  Mr.  Bright, 
without  sleep,  you  will  excuse  the  hurried  and  brief  charac- 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


ter  of  this  note,  which  I  could  not  refrain  from  sending  you, 
since  our  experiments  this  morning  settle  the  scientific  and 
commercial  points  of  our  enterprise  satisfactorily. 
"  With  respect  and  esteem,  your  obedient  servant, 

"  Samuel  F.  B.  Morse." 


A  week  later,  he  wrote  again,  confirming  his  former 
impressions,  thus : 

"  London,  October  10,  1856. 

"My  DEAR  Sir  :  After  having  given  the  deepest  consid- 
eration to  the  subject  of  our  successful  experiments  the 
other  night,  when  we  signalled  clearly  and  rapidly  through 
an  unbroken  cirouit  of  subterranean  conducting  wii-e,  over 
two  thousand  miles  in  length,  I  sit  down  to  give  you  the 
result  of  my  reflections  and  calculations. 

' '  There  can  bo  no  question  but  that,  with  a  cable  contain- 
ing a  single  conducting  wire,  of  a  size  not  exceeding  that 
through  which  we  worked,  and  with  equal  insulation,  it 
would  be  easy  to  telegraph  from  Ireland  to  Newfoundland 
at  a  speed  of  at  least  from  eight  to  ten  woi-ds  per  minute  ; 
nay,  more :  the  varying  rates  of  speed  at  which  we  worked, 
depending  as  they  did  upon  differences  in  the  arrangement 
of  the  apparatus  employed,  do  of  themselves  prove  that  even 
a  higher  rate  than  this  is  attainable.  Take  it,  however,  at 
ten  words  in  the  minute,  and  allowing  ten  words  for  name 
and  address,  we  can  safely  calculate  upon  the  transmission 
of  a  twenty-word  message  in  three  minutes ; 

' '  Twenty  such  messages  in  the  hour ; 

"  Four  hundred  and  eighty  in  the  twenty-four  hours,  or 
foui'teen  thousand  four  hundred  words  per  day. 


, 


iM 


THE  WORK  BEGUN  IN  ENGLAND.  ^ 

"  Such  are  the  capabilities  of  a  single  wire  cable  fairly  and 
moderately  computed. 

"  It  is,  however,  evident  to  me,  that  by  improvements  in  the 
arrangement  of  the  signals  themselves,  aided  by  the  adoption 
of  a  code  or  system  constructed  upon  the  principles  of  the 
best  nautical  code,  as  suggested  by  Dr.  Whitehouse,  we  may 
at  least  double  the  speed  in  the  transmission  of  our  messages. 

"  As  to  the  structure  of  the  cable  itself,  the  last  .specimen 
which  I  examined  with  you  seemed  to  combine  so  admirably 
the  necessary  qualities  of  strength,  flexibility,  and  light- 
ness, with  perfect  insilation,  that  I  can  no  longer  have  any 
misgivings  about  tlie  case  and  safety  with  which  it  will  be 
submerged. 

"  In  one  word,  tlie  doubts  are  resolved,  the  difficulties 
overcome,  success  is  within  our  reach,  and  the  great  feat  of 
the  century  must  shortly  be  accomplished. 

"  I  would  urge  you,  if  the  manufacture  can  be  completed 
within  the  time,  (and  all  things  are  possible  now,)  to  press 
forward  the  good  work,  and  not  to  lose  the  chance  of  laying 
it  during  the  ensuing  summer. 

"Before  the  close  of  the  present  month,  I  hope  to  be 
again  landed  safely  on  the  other  side  of  the  water,  and  I 
full  well  know,  that  on  all  hands  the  inquiries  of  most 
interest  with  which  I  shall  be  met,  will  be  about  the  Ocean 
Telegraph. 

"Much  as  I  have  enjoyed  my  European  trip  this  year,  it 
would  have  enhanced  the  gratification  which  I  have  de- 
rived from  it  more  than  I  can  describe  to  you,  if  on  my 
return  to  America,  I  could  be  the  first  bearer  to  my  friends 
of  the  welcome  intelligence  that  the  great  work  had  been 
begun,  by  the  commencement  of  the  manufacture  of  the 
cable  to  connect  Ireland  with  the  line  of  the  New  York, 


80 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph  Company,  now  so 
successfully  completed  to  St.  John's. 
"  Respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

"Samuel  F.  B.  Morse." 

These  experiments  and  others  removed  the  doubts 
of  scientific  men.  Professor  Faraday,  in  spite  of  the 
law  of  the  retardation  of  electricity  on  long  circuits, 
which  it  was  said  he  had  discovered,  and  which  would 
render  it  impossible  to  work  a  line  of  such  length  as 
from  Ireland  to  Newfoundland,  now  declared  his  full 
conviction  that  it  was  within  the  bounds  of  possibility. 
The  passage  of  electricity  might  not  be  absolutely  in- 
stantaneous, or  have  the  swiftness  of  the  solar  beam, 
yet  it  Avould  be  rapid  enough  for  all  practical  pur- 
poses. When  Mr.  Field  asked  him  how  long  it  would 
take  for  the  electricity  to  pass  from  London  to  Kew 
York,  he  answered :  "  Possibly  one  second  ! " 

Thus  fortified  by  the  highest  scientific  and  engineer- 
ing authorities,  the  projectors  of  an  ocean  telegraph 
were  now  ready  to  bring  it  before  the  British  public, 
and  to  see  what  support  could  be  found  from  the 
English  Government  and  the  English  people. 

Mr.  Field  first  addressed  himself  to  the  Government. 
Without  waiting  for  the  Company  to  be  fully  organ- 
ized, with  true  American  eagerness  and  impatience,  he 
wrote  a  letter  to  the  Admiralty  asking  for  a  fresh  sur- 
vey of  the  route  to  be  traversed,  and  for  the  aid  of 
Government  ships  to  lay  the  cable.    He  also  addressed 


• 


THE  WORK  BEGUN  IN  ENGLAND. 


81 


a  letter  to  Lord  Clarendon,  stating  the  large  design 
which  they  had  conceived,  and  asking  for  it  the  aid 
which  was  due  to  what  concerned  the  honor  and  in- 
terest of  England.  The  reply  was  prompt  and  court- 
eous, inviting  him  to  an  interview  for  the  purpose  of 
a  fuller  explanation.  Accordingly,  Mr.  Field,  with 
Professor  Morse,  called  upon  him  at  the  Foreign 
Office,  and  spent  an  hour  in  conversation  on  the 
proposed  undertaking.  Lord  Clarendon  showed  great 
interest,  and  made  many  inquiries.  He  was  a  little 
startled  at  the  magnitude  of  the  scheme,  and  the  con- 
fident tone  of  the  projectors,  and  asked  pleasantly: 
"  But,  suppose  you  dont  succeed  ?  Suppose  you  make 
the  attempt  and  fail — your  cable  is  lost  in  the  sea — 
then  what  will  3'ou  doT'  *•  Charge  it  to  profit  and 
loss,  and  go  to  work  to  lay  another,"  was  the  quick 
answer  of  Mr.  Field,  which  amused  him  as  a  truly 
American  reply.  In  conclusion,  he  desired  him  to  put 
his  request  in  writing,  and,  without  committing  the 
Government,  encouraged  him  to  hope  that  Britain 
would  do  all  that  might  justly  be  expected  in  aid  of 
this  great  international  work.  How  nobly  this  prom- 
ise was  kept,  time  will  show. 

"While  engaged  in  these  negotiations,  Mr.  Field  took 
his  family  to  Paris,  and  there  met  with  a  great  loss  in 
the  sudden  death  of  a  favorite  sister,  who  had  accom- 
panied them  abroad.  Full  of  the  sorrow  of  this  event, 
and  unfitted  for  business  of  any  kind,  he  returned  to 
6 


m. 


Id  STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

London  to  find  an  invitation  to  go  into  the  country 
and  spend  a  few  days  with  Mr.  Jumes  Wilson,  then 
Secretary  to  the  Treasury,  a  man  of  great  influence  in 
the  Government,  at  his  residence  near  Bath ;  there  to 
discuss  quietly  and  at  length  the  proposed  aid  to  the 
Atlantic  Telegraph.  Though  he  had  but  little  spirit  to 
go  among  strangers,  he  felt  it  his  duty  not  to  miss  an 
opportunity  to  advance  the  cause  he  had  so  much  at 
heart.  The  result  of  this  visit  was  the  following  letter, 
received  a  few  days  later : 

"Treasury  Chambers,  Nov.  20,  1856. 

"Sir  :  Ha.'ing  laid  before  the  Lords  Commissioners  of 
her  Majesty's  Treasury  your  letter  of  the  13th  ultimo,  ad- 
dressed to  the  Earl  of  Clarendon,  requesting,  on  behalf  of 
the  New  York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph  Com- 
pany, certain  privileges  and  protection  in  regard  to  the  line 
of  telegraph  which  it  is  proposed  to  establish  between  New- 
foundland and  Ireland,  I  am  directed  by  their  lordships  to 
acquaint  you  that  they  are  prepared  to  enter  into  a  contract 
with  the  said  Telegraph  Company,  based  upon  the  following 
conditions,  namely  : 

"1,  It  is  understood  that  the  capital  required  to  lay  down 
the  line  will  be  three  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  pounds. 

"  2.  Her  Majesty's  Government  engage  to  furnish  the  aid 
of  ships  to  take  what  soundings  may  still  be  considered  need- 
ful, or  to  verify  those  alre.idy  taken,  and  favorably  to  con- 
sider any  request  that  may  be  made  to  furnish  aid  by  their 
vessels  in  laying  down  the  cable. 

"3.  The  British  Government,  from  the  time  of  the  com- 
pletion of  the  line,  and  so  long  as  it  shall  continue  in  work- 


f: 


THE  WORK  BEGUN  IN  ENGLAND.       t8 

ing  ortler,  undertakos  to  pay  at  tho  rato  of  fourteen  thousand 
pounds  a  year,  beiiij;  iit  the  rule  of  four  per  cent,  on  the 
assumed  cut)ital,  as  a  fixed  remuneration  for  the  work  doue 
on  belialf  of  tho  Government,  in  tlie  conveyance  outward 
and  homeward  of  their  messages.  Tliis  payment  to  continue 
until  tho  net  prolits  of  tlio  Company  are  e([ual  to  a  dividend 
of  six  per  cent.,  when  the  payment  shall  be  i*educed  to  ten 
thousand  pounds  a  year,  for  a  period  of  twenty-live  years. 

"It  is,  however,  understood  that  if  the  Government  mes- 
sages in  any  year  shall,  at  the  usual  tariff-rate  charged  to 
the  public,  amount  to  a  larger  sum,  such  additional  payment 
shall  be  made  as  is  equivalent  thereto. 

"  4.  That  tho  British  Government  shall  have  a  priority  in 
the  conveyance  of  their  messages  over  all  others,  subject  to 
the  exception  only  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 
in  the  event  of  their  entering  into  an  arrangement  with  the 
Telegra])h  Company  similar  in  principle  to  that  of  the  Brit- 
ish Government,  in  which  case  the  messages  of  the  two  Gov- 
ernments shall  have  priority  in  the  order  in  which  they 
arrive  at  the  stiitions. 

"5.  That  the  tariff  of  charges  shall  be  fixed  with  the  con- 
sent of  the  Treasury,  and  sliall  not  be  increased,  without 
such  consent  being  obtained,  as  long  as  this  contract  lasts. 

"I  am,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

"James  Wilson. 

"Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  37  Jermyn  street." 

With  this  encouragement  and  promise  of  aid,  the 
projectors  of  a  telegrapli  across  the  ocean  now  went 
forward  to  organize  a  company  to  carry  out  their 
design.  Mr.  Field,  on  arriving  in  England,  had  en- 
tered into  an  agreement  with  Mr.  Brett  to  join  their 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


efforts  for  this  purpose.  With  them  were  afterward 
united  two  others — Sir  Charles  Bright,  as  engineer, 
and  Dr.  Whitehouse,  as  electrician.  These  four  gen- 
tlemen agreed  to  form  a  new  company,  to  be  called 
The  Atlantic  Teiegi^aph  Company,  the  object  of  which 
should  be  "  to  continue  the  existing  line  of  the  New 
York,  Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph  Com- 
pany to  Ireland,  by  making  or  causing  to  be  made  a 
submarine  telegraph  cable  for  the  Atlantic." 

As  they  were  now  ready  to  introduce  the  enterprise 
to  the  British  public,  Mr.  Fitld  issued  a  circular  in 
the  name  of  the  Newfoundland  Company,  and  as  its 
Vice-President,  setting  forth  the  great  importance  of 
telegraphic  communication  between  the  two  hemi- 
spheres. 

The  next  step  was  to  raise  the  capital.  After  the 
most  careful  estimates,  it  was  thought  tliat  a  cable 
could  be  made  and  laid  across  tie  Atlantic  for 
£350,000.  This  was  a  large  sum  to  ask  from  a 
public  slow  to  move,  and  that  lends  a  dull  ear  to  all 
new  schemes.  But  armed  with  facts  and  figures,  with 
maps  and  estimates,  with  the  opinions  of  engineers 
and  scientific  men,  they  went  to  work,  not  only  in 
London,  but  in  other  parts  of  the  kingdom.  Mr.  Field, 
in  company  with  Mr.  Brett,  made  a  visit  to  Liverpool 
and  Manchester,  to  address  their  Chambers  of  Com- 
merce. I  have  now  before  me  the  papers  of  those 
cities,  with  reports  of   the   meetings  held  and    the 


^, 


THE  WORK  BEGUN  IN  ENGLAND. 


85 


speeches  made,  which  show  the  vigor  with  which  they 
pushed  their  enterprise.  This  energy  was  rewarded 
with  success.  The  result  justified  their  confidence. 
In  a  few  weeks  the  whole  capital  was  subscribed.  It 
had  been  divided  into  three  hundred  and  fifty  shares 
of  a  thousand  pounds  each.  Of  these,  a  hundred  and 
one  were  taken  in  London,  eighty-six  in  Liverpool, 
thirty-seven  in  Glasgow,  twenty-eight  in  Manchester, 
and  a  few  in  other  parts  of  England.  The  grandeur 
of  the  design  attracted  public  attention,  and  some  sub- 
scribed solely  from  a  noble  wish  to  take  part  in  such  a 
work.  Among  these  were  Mr.  Thackeray  and  Lady 
Byron.  Mr.  Field  subscribed  £100,000,  and  Mr.  Brett 
£25,000.  But  when  the  books  were  closed,  it  was 
found  that  they  had  more  money  subscribed  than 
they  required,  so  that  in  the  final  division  of  shares, 
there  were  allotted  to  Mr.  Field  eighty-eight,  and  to 
Mr.  Brett  twelve.  Mr.  Field's  interest  Avas  thus  one- 
fourth  of  the  whole  capital  of  the  Company. 

In  taking  so  large  a  share,  it  was  not  his  intention 
to  carry  this  heavy  load  alone.  It  Avas  too  large  a 
proportion  for  one  man.  But  ho  took  it  for  his  coun- 
trymen. He  thought  one  fourth  of  the  stock  should 
be  held  in  this  country,  and  did  not  doubt,  from  the 
eagerness  with  which  three  fourths  had  been  taken  in 
England,  that  the  remainder  would  be  at  once  sub- 
scribed in  America.  Had  he  been  able,  on  his  return, 
to  attend  to  his  own  interests  in  the  matter,  this 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

expectation  might  have  been  realized ;  but,  as  we  shall 
see,  hardly  did  he  set  foot  in  New  York,  before  he  was 
obliged  to  hurry  off  to  Newfoundland  on  the  business 
of  the  Company,  and  when  he  returned  the  interest 
had  subsided,  so  that  it  required  very  great  exertions, 
continued  through  many  months,  to  dispose  of  twenty- 
seven  shares.  Thus  he  was  by  far  the  largest  stock- 
holder in  England  or  America — his  interest  being  over 
seven  times  that  of  Mr.  Brett,  who  was  the  largest 
next  to  himself — ^and  being  more  than  double  the 
amount  held  by  all  the  other  American  shareholders 
put  together.  This  was  at  least  giving  substantial 
proof  of  his  own  faith  in  the  undertaking. 

But  some  may  imagine  that  after  all  this  burden  was 
not  so  great  as  it  seemed.  In  many  stock  companies 
the  custom  obtains  of  assigning  to  tlie  projectors  a 
certain  portion  of  the  stock  as  a  bonus  for  getting  up 
the  company,  which  amount  appears  among  the  sub- 
scriptions to  swell  the  capital.  It  is  indeed  subscribed, 
hut  not  paid.  So  some  have  asked  whether  this  large 
subscription  of  Mr.  Field  was  not  in  part  at  least 
merely  nominal  ?  To  this  we  answer,  tliat  a  considera- 
tion was  granted  to  Mr.  Field  and  his  associates  for 
their  services  in  getting  up  the  Company,  and  for  their 
exclusive  rights,  but  this  was  a  contingent  interest  in 
the  profits  of  the  enterprise,  to  he  allowed  only  after  the 
cable  was  laid.  So  that  the  whole  amount  here  sub- 
scribed was  a  hona-fide  subscription,  and  paid  in  solid 


IP 


THE  WORK  BEGUN  IN  ENGLAND. 


m 


English  gold.  We  have  now  before  us  the  receipts  of 
the  bankers  of  the  Company  for  the  whole  amount, 
eighty -eight  thousand  pounds  sterling. 

The  capital  being  thus  raised,  it  only  remained  to 
complete  the  organization  of  the  Coiapany  by  the 
choice  of  a  Board  of  Directors,  and  to  make  a  contract 
for  the  cable.  The  Company  was  organized  in  De- 
cember, 1856,  by  the  choice  of  Directora  chiefly  from 
the  leading  bankers  and  merchants  of  London  and 
Liverpool.  The  list  included  such  honored  names  as 
Samuel  Gurney,  T.  11,  Brooking,  John  W.  Brett,  and 
T.  A,  Hankey,  of  London ;  Sir  William  Brown,  Henry 
Harrison,  Edward  Johnston,  Robert  Crosbie,  George 
Maxwell,  and  C.  W.  H.  Pickering,  of  Liverpbol ;  John 
Pender  and  James  Dugdale,  of  Manchester ;  and  Pro- 
fessor William  Thomson,  LL.D.,  of  Glasgow.  With 
these  English  Directors  were  two  of  our  countrymen, 
Mr.  George  Peabody  and  Mr.  C.  M.  Lampson,  who, 
residing  abroad  for  more  than  a  third  of  a  century,  did 
much  in  the  commercial  capital  of  the  world  to  support 
the  honor  of  the  American  name.  Mr.  Peabody's  firm 
subscribed  £10,000,  and  Mr.  Lampson  £2,000.  The 
latter  gave  more  time  than  any  other  Director  in  Lon- 
don, except  Mr.  Brooking,  the  second  Yice-Chairman, 
who,  however,  retired  from  the  Company  after  the 
first  failure  in  1858,  when  !Mr.  Lampson  was  chosen  to 
fill  his  place.  The  whole  Board  was  full  of  zeal  and 
energy.    All  gave  their  services  without  compensation. 


aHi 


88 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


v. 


It  was  the  good  fortune  of  the  Company  to  have, 
from  the  beginning,  in  the  important  position  of  Secre- 
tary, a  gentleman  admirably  qualified  for  the  post. 
This  was  Mr.  George  Saward — a  name  familiar  to  all 
who  have  followed  the  fortunes  of  the  telegraph,  in 
England  or  America,  since  he  has  been  the  organ  of 
communication  with  the  press  and  the  public ;  and 
with  whom  none  ever  had  occasion  to  transact  busi- 
ness without  recognizing  his  intelligence  and  courtesy. 

The  Company  being  thus  in  working  order,  pro- 
ceeded to  make  a  contract  for  the  manufacture  of  a 
cable  to  be  laid  across  the  Atlantic.  For  many  months 
the  proper  form  and  size  of  the'  cable  had  been  the 
subject  of  constant  experiments.  The  conditions  were : 
to  combine  the  greatest  degree  of  strength  with  light- 
ness and  flexibility.  It  must  be  strong,  or  it  Avould 
snap  in  the  process  of  laying.  Yet  it  would  not  do  to 
have  it  too  large,  for  it  svould  be  unmanageable.  Mr. 
Brett  had  already  lost  a  cable  in  the  Mediterranean 
chiefly-  from  its  bulk.  Its  size  and  stiffness  made  it 
hard  to  unwind  it,  while  its  enormous  weight,  when 
once  it  broke  loose,  caused  it  to  run  out  with  fearful 
velocity,  till  it  Avas  soon  lost  in  the  sea.  It  was  only 
-the  year  before,  in  September,  1855,  that  this  accident 
had'  occurred  in  laying  the  cable  from  Sardinia  to  Al- 
geria. All  was  going  on  well,  until  suddenly,  "about 
two  miles,  weighing  sixteen  tons,  flew  out  with  the 
greatest  violence  in  four  or  five  minutes,  flying  round 


THE  WORK  BEGUN  IN  ENGLAND. 


80 


even  when  the  drums  were  brought  to  a  dead  stop, 
creating  the  greatest  alarm  for  the  safety  of  the  men 
in  the  hold  and  for  the  vessel."  This  was  partly  owing 
to  the  character  of  the  submarine  surface  over  which 
they  were  passing.  The  bottom  of  the  Mediterranean 
is  volcanic,  and  is  broken  up  into  mountains  and  val- 
leys. The  cable,  doubtless,  had  just  passed  over  some 
Alpine  height,  and  was  descending  into  some  fearful 
depth  below ;  but  chiefly  it  was  owing  to  the  great 
size  and  bulk  of  the  cable.  This  was  a  warning  to  the 
Atlantic  Company.  The  point  to  be  aimed  at  was  to 
combine  the  flexibility  of  a  common  ship's  rope  with 
the  tenacity  of  iron.  These  conditions  were  thought 
to  be  united  in  the  form  that  Avas  adopted.*     A  con- 

*  On  his  return  to  America,  many  inquiries  were  addressed  to  Mr. 
Field  in  regnrd  to  the  form  and  structure  of  the  cable,  In  answer  to 
which  he  wrote  a  letter  of  explanation  in  which  he  said  : 

"  No  particular  connected  with  this  great  project  has  been  the  subject 
of  so  much  comment  through  the  press  as  the  form  and  structure  of  the 
telegraph  cable.  It  may  be  well  believed  that  the  Directors  have  not 
decided  upon  a  matter  so  all-important  to  success,  without  availing 
themselves  of  the  most  eminent  talent  and  experience  which  could  be 
commanded.  The  practical  history  of  submarine  telegraphs  dates  from 
the  successful  submersion  of  the  cable  between  Dover  and  Calais  in 
1851,  and  advantage  has  been  taken  of  whatever  instruction  this  history 
could  furnish  or  suggest.  Of  the  submarine  cables  heretofore  laid  down, 
without  enumerating  others,  the  one  between  Dover  and  Calais  weighs 
six  tons  to  the  mile  ;  tliat  between  Spezzia  and  Corsica,  eight  tons  to  tlie 
mile ;  that  laid  from  Varna  to  Balaklava,  and  used  during  the  war  in  the 
Crimea,  less  than  three  hundred  pounds  to  tiie  mile  ;  while  the  weight 
of  the  cable  for  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  is  between  nineteen  hundred 
pounds  and  one  ton  to  the  mile.    This  cable,  to  use  the  words  of  Dr. 


90 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


tract  was  at  once  made  for  the  manufacture  of  the 
cable,  one  half  being  given  to  Messrs.  Glass,  Elliot  & 
Co.,  of  London,  and  the  other  to  Messrs.  R.  S.  Newall 
&  Co.,  of  Liverpool.  The  whole  was  to  be  completed 
by  the  first  of  June,  ready  to  be  submerged  in  the  sea. 
The  company  was  organized  on  the  ninth  of  December, 
and  the  verv  next  day  Mr.  Field  sailed  for  America, 
reaching  New  York  on  the  twenty-fifth  of  December, 
after  an  absence  of  more  than  five  months. 


Whitehouse,  '  is  the  result  of  many  months  thought,  experiment,  and 
trial.  Hundreds  of  specimens  have  been  made,i'ompri8ing  every  variety 
of  form,  size,  and  structure,  and  most  severely  tested  as  to  their  powers 
and  capabilities  ;  and  the  result  has  been  the  adoption  of  this,  which  we 
know  to  possess  all  the  properties  required,  and  in  a  far  higher  degree 
than  any  cable  that  has  yet  been  laid.  Its  flexibility  is  such  as  to  make 
it  as  manageable  as  a  small  line,  and  its  strength  such  that  it  will  bear, 
in  water,  over  six  miles  of  its  own  weight  suspended  vertically.'  The 
conducting  medium  consists  not  of  one  single  straiglit  copper-wire, 
but  of  seven  wires  of  copper  of  the  best  quality,  twisted  round  each 
other  spirally,  and  capable  of  undergoing  great  tension  without  injury. 
This  conductor  is  then  enveloped  in  three  separate  coverings  of  gutta- 
percha,  of  the  best  quality,  forming  the  core  of  the  cable,  round  which 
tarred  hemp  is  wrapped,  and  over  this,  the  outside  covering,  consisting 
of  eighteen  strands  of  the  best  quality  of  iron-wire ;  each  strand  com- 
posed of  seven  distinct  wires,  twisted  spirally,  in  the  most  approved 
manner,  by  machinery  specially  adapted  to  the  purpose.  The  attempt 
to  insulate  more  than  one  conductiug-wire  or  medium  would  not  only 
have  increased  the  chances  of  failure  of  all  of  them,  but  would  have 
necessitated  the  adoption  of  a  proportionably  heavier  and  more  cum- 
brous cable.  The  tensile  power  of  the  outer  or  wire  covering  of  the 
cable,  being  very  much  less  than  that  of  the  conductor  within  It,  the 
latter  is  protected  from  any  such  strain  as  can  possibly  rupture  it  or  en- 
danger its  iusulatiou  without  an  entire  fracture  of  the  cable." 


CHAPTER  VII. 


SEEKING    AID    FROM   CONOKESS. 


"When  Mr,  Field  reached  home  from  abroad,  he 
hoped  for  a  brief  respite.  He  had  had  a  pretty  hard 
campaign  during  the  summer  and  autumn  in  England, 
and  needed  at  least  a  few  weeks  of  rest ;  but  that  was 
denied  him.  He  landed  in  New  York  on  Christmas 
Day,  and  was  not  allowed  even  to  spend  the  N^ew 
Year  with  his  family.  There  were  interests  of  the 
Company  in  Newfoundland  which  required  immediate 
attention,  and  it  was  important  that  one  of  the  Direct- 
ors should  go  there  without  delay.  As  usual,  it  de- 
volved upon  him.  He  left  at  once  for  Boston,  where 
he  took  the  steamer  to  Halifax,  and  thence  to  St. 
John's.  Such  a  voyage  may  be  very  agreeable  in 
summer,  but  in  mid-winter  it  is  not  a  pleasant  thing  to 
face  the  storms  of  those  northern  latitudes.  The  pas- 
sage was  unusually  tempestuous.  At  St.  John's  he 
broke  down,  and  was  put  under  the  care  of  a  physician. 
But  he  did  not  stop  to  think  of  himself.  The  work  for 
which  he  came  was  done;  and  though  the  physician 
warned  him  that  it  was  a  great  risk  to  leave  his  bed, 
he  took  the  steamer  on  her  return,  and  was  again  la 


93 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


I   I 


New  York  after  a  month's  absence — a  month  of  hard- 
ship, of  exposure,  and  of  suffering,  such  as  he  had  long 
occasion  to  remember. 

The  mention  of  this  voyage  came  up  a  year  after- 
ward at  a  meeting  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company 
in  London,  when  a  resolution  was  offered,  tendering 
Mr.  Field  a  vote  of  thanks  for  "  the  great  services  he 
had  rendered  to  the  Company  by  his  untiring  zeal, 
energy,  and  devotion."  Mr.  Brooking,  the  Vice- 
Chairman,  had  spent  a  large  part  of  his  life  in  New- 
foundland, and  knew  the  dangers  of  that  inhospitable 
coast,  and  in  seconding  the  resolution  he  said  : 

"It  is  now  about  a  year  and  a  lialf  ago  ^'.nce  I  had  the 
pleasure  of  making  the  acquaintance  of  my  friend  Mr. 
Field.  It  was  he  who  initiated  me  into  this  Company,  and 
induced  me  to  take  an  interest  in  it  from  its  earliest  stage. 
From  that  period  to  the  present  I  have  observed  in  Mr. 
Field  the  most  determined  perseverance,  and  the  exercise  of 
great  talent,  extraordinary  assiduity  and  diligence,  coupled 
with  an  amount  of  fortitude  whicli  has  seldom  been 
eq  lalled.  I  have  known  him  cross  the  Atlantic  in  the 
depth  of  winter,  and,  within  twenty-four  hours  after  his 
I'vrival  in  New  York,  having  ascertained  that  his  presence 
was  necessary  in  a  distant  British  colony,  he  has  not  hesi- 
tated at  once  to  direct  his  course  thitherward.  That  colony 
is  one  with  which  I  am  intimately  acquainted,  having  re- 
sided in  it  for  upward  of  twenty  years,  and  am  enabled  to 
speak  of  the  hazards  and  danger  which  attend  a  voyage  to  it 
in  winter.  Mr.  Field  no  .sooner  arrived  at  New  York,  in  the 
latter  part  of  December,  than  he  got  aboard  a  steamer  for 


SEEKING  AID  FROM  CONGRESS. 


98 


i 


Halifax,  and  proceeded  to  St.  John's,  Newfoundland.  In 
three  weeks  he  accomplished  there  a  very  great  object  for 
this  Company.  He  procured  the  passage  of  an  Act  of  tlie 
Legislature  which  has  given  to  our  Company  the  right  of 
establishing  a  footing  on  those  shores.  [The  rights  befoi-e 
conferred,  it  would  seem,  applied  only  to  the  Newfoundland 
Company.!  That  is  only  one  of  tlie  acts  which  he  has  per- 
formed with  a  desire  to  promote  the  interests  of  this  great 
enterprise." 

The  very  next  day  after  his  return  from  Newfound- 
land, Mr.  Field  was  called  to  Washington,  to  seek  the 
aid  of  his  own  Government  to  the  Atlantic  Telegraph. 
The  English  Government  had  proffered  the  most  gen- 
erous aid,  both  in  ships  to  lay  the  cable,  and  in  an 
annual  subsid}'  of  £14,000.  It  was  on  every  account 
desirable  that  this  should  be  met  by  corresponding 
liberality  on  the  part  of  the  American  Government. 
Before  he  left  England,  he  had  sent  home  the  letter 
received  from  the  Lords  Commissioners  of  the  Treas- 
ury ;  and  thereupon  the  Directors  of  the  New  York, 
Newfoundland,  and  London  Telegraph  Company  had 
inclosed  a  copy  to  the  President,  with  a  letter  asking 
for  the  same  aid  in  ships,  and  in  an  annual  sum  of 
$70,000,  [equivalent  to  £14,000,]  to  be  paid  for  the 
government  messages,  the  latter  to  be  conditioned  on 
the  success  of  the  telegraph,  and  to  be  continued  only 
so  long  as  it  was  in  full  operation.  They  urged  with 
reason  that  the  English  Government  had  acted  with 
great  liberality — not  only  toward  the  enterprise,  but 


M 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


toward  our  own  Government.  Although  both  ends 
of  the  line  were  in  the  British  possessions,  it  had 
claimed  no  exclusive  privileges,  but  had  stipulated  for 
perfect  equality  between  the  United  States  and  Great 
Britain.  The  agreement  expressly  provided  "  that  the 
British  Government  shall  have  a  priority  in  the  con- 
veyance of  their  messages  over  all  others,  suhject  to  the 
exception  only  of  the  Government  of  the  United  States, 
in  the  event  of  their  entering  into  an  arrangement 
with  the  Telegraph  Company  similar  in  principle  to 
that  of  the  British  Government,  in  which  case  the 
messages  of  the  two  governments  shall  have  priority 
in  the  order  in  which  they  arrive  at  the  stations." 

The  letter  to  the  President  called  attention  to  this 
generous  offer — an  offer  Avhich  it  was  manifestly  to 
the  advantage  of  our  Government  to  accept — and 
added :  "  The  Company  will  enter  into  a  contract  with 
the  Government  of  the  United  States  on  the  same 
terms  and  conditions  as  it  has  made  with  the  British 
Government."  They  asked  only  for  the  same  recog- 
nition and  aid  which  they  had  received  in  England. 
This  surely  was  not  a  very  bold  request.  It  was 
natural  that  American  citizens  should  think  that  in  a 
work  begun  by  Americans,  and  of  which,  if  success- 
ful, their  country  would  reap  largely  the  honor  and 
the  advantage,  they  might  expect  the  aid  from  their 
own  Government  Avhich  the\'^  had  already  received 
from  a  foreign  power.    It  was,  therefore,  not  with- 


SEEKING  AID  FROM  CONGRESS. 


9ft 


out  a  mixture  of  surprise  and  mortification  that  they 
learned  that  the  proposal  in  Congress  had  provoked  a 
violent  opposition,  and  that  the  bill  was  likely  to  be 
defeated.  Such  was  the  attitude  of  affairs  wlien  Mr. 
Field  returned  from  Newfoundland,  and  which  led 
him  to  hasten  to  Washington. 

He  now  found  that  it  was  much  easier  to  deal  with 
the  English  than  with  the  American  Government. 
Whatever  may  be  said  of  the  respective  methods  of 
administration,  it  must  be  confessed  that  the  forms 
of  English  procedure  furnish  greater  facility  in  the 
despatch  of  business.  A  contract  can  be  made  by  the 
Lords  of  the  Treasury  without  waiting  the  action  of 
Parliament.  The  proposal  is  referred  to  two  or  three 
intelligent  officers  of  the  Government — perhaps  even 
to  a  single  individual — on  whose  report  it  takes  action 
without  further  delay.  Thus  it  is  probable  that  the 
action  of  the  British  Government  was  decided  wholly 
by  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Wilson,  formed  after 
the  visit  of  Mr.  Field. 

But  in  our  country  we  do  things  differently.  Here 
it  would  be  considered  a  stretch  of  power  for  any 
administration  to  enter  into  a  contract  with  a  private 
company — a  contract  binding  tiie  Government  for  a 
period  of  twenty-five  years,  and  involving  an  annual 
appropriation  of  money — without  the  action  of  Con- 
gress. This  is  a  safeguard  against  reckless  and  extrav- 
agant expenditure,  but,  as  one  of  the  penalties  we 


90 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGlUPIf. 


pay  for  our  more  popular  form  of  govornment,  in 
Avhich  every  thing  has  to  be  referred  to  the  jwopie,  it 
involves  delay,  and  sometimes  the  defeat  of  wise  and 
important  public  measures. 

Besides — shall  wo  confess  it  to  our  shame — another 
secret  influence  often  appears  in  American  legislation, 
which  has  defeated  many  an  act  demanded  by  the 
public  good— the  influence  of  the  Lobby !  Tiiis  now 
began  to  show  itself  in  ojiposition.  It  had  been 
whispered  in  Washington  that  the  gentlemen  in  New 
York  who  were  at  the  head  of  this  enterprise  were 
very  rich ;  and  a  measure  coming  from  such  a  source 
surely  ought  to  be  made  to  pay  tribute  before  it  was 
allowed  to  pass.  This  was  a  new  experience.  Those 
few  weeks  in  Washington  were  woree  than  being 
among  the  icebergs  off  the  coast  of  Newfoundland. 
The  Atlantic  Cable  has  had  many  a  kink  since,  but 
never  did  it  seem  to  be  entangled  in  such  a  hopeless 
twist  as  when  it  got  among  the  politicians. 

But  it  would  be  very  unjust  to  suppose  that  there 
were  no  better  influences  in  our  Halls  of  Congress. 
There  were  then — as  there  have  always  been  in  our 
history — some  men  of  large  wisdom  and  of  a  noble 
patriotic  pride,  who  in  such  a  measure  thought  only 
of  the  good  of  their  countr}'  and  of  the  triumph  of 
science  and  of  civilization. 

Two  vears  after — in  August,  1858 — when  the  At- 
lantic  Telegraph  proved  at  last  a  reality,  and  the 


SEEKIMO   AID  PROM  COXGRESS. 


9t 


New  Woi'Id  was  full  of  its  fame,  Mr.  Soward,  in  a 
speech  at  Auburn,  thus  referred  to  the  ordoul  it  had 
to  pass  through  in  Congress: 

"  Tlie  two  great  countries  of  wliich  I  have  spoken,  [Eng- 
land und  Aniericft,)  are  now  ringing  with  tlio  praises  of 
Cyrus  W.  Field,  wiio  cuiofly  has  brought  this  great  enter- 
pri'^e  to  its  glorious  aad  beneficent  consununation.  You 
have  never  heard  his  story;  let  nie  give  you  a  few  points  in 
it,  as  a  lesson  that  there  is  no  condition  of  life  in  which  a 
man,  endowed  with  native  genius,  a  ))enevolent  spirit,  and  a 
courageous  patience,  may  not  become  a  benefactor  of  nations 
and  of  mankind." 

After  speaking  of  tlie  efforts  by  wiiich  this  Xew 
York  merchant  "  brought  into  being  an  association 
of  Americans  and  Englishmen,  which  contributed 
from  surplus  wealth  the  capital  necessary  as  a  basis 
for  the  enterprise  "  ;  he  adds : 

"It  remained  to  engage  the  consent  and  tlio  activity  of 
the  Governments  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States. 
That  was  all  thai  remained.  Such  consent  and  activity  on 
the  part  of  some  one  great  nation  of  Europe  was  all  that 
remained  needful  for  Columbus  when  he  stood  ready  to 
bring  a  new  continent  forward  as  a  theatre  of  the  world's 
civilization.  But  in  each  case  that  elFort  was  the  most  diffi- 
cult of  all.  Cyrus  W.  Field,  by  assiduity  and  jiatience, 
first  secured  consent  and  conditional  engagement  on  the 
part  of  Great  Britain,  and  then,  less  than  two  years  ago,  he 
repaired  to  Washington.  The  President  and  Secretary  of 
State  individually  favored  his  proposition ;  but  the  jealousies 


98 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Ill 


of  parties  and  sections  in  Congress  forbade  them  to  lend  it 
their  official  sanction  and  patronage.  He  appealed  to  me. 
I  drew  the  necessary  bill.  With  the  generous  aid  of  others, 
Northern  Representatives,  and  the  indispensable  aid  of  the 
late  Thomas  J.  Rusk,  a  Senator  from  Texas,  that  bill,  after 
a  severe  contest  and  long  delay,  was  carried  through  the 
Senate  of  the  United  States  by  the  majority,  if  I  remember 
rightly,  of  one  vote,  and  escaped  defeat  in  the  House  of 
Representatives  with  equal  difficulty.  I  liave  .said  tl  e  aid  of 
Mr.  Rusk  was  indispensable.  If  any  one  has  wondered  why 
I,  an  extreme  Northern  man,  loved  and  lamented  Thomas 
J.  Rusk,  an  equally  extreme  Southern  man,  lie  has  here 
an  explana*,ion.  There  was  no  good  tiling  which,  as  it 
seemed  to  me,  I  could  not  do  in  Congress  with  his  aid. 
When  he  died,  it  seemed  to  me  that  no  good  thing  could  be 
done  by  any  one.  Such  was  the  position  of  Cyrus  W.  Field 
at  that  stage  of  the  great  enterprise.  But,  thus  at  last  forti- 
fied with  capital  derived  from  New  York  and  London,  and 
with  the  navies  of  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States  at  his 
command,  he  has,  after  trials  that  would  have  discouraged 
any  other  than  a  true  discoverer,  brought  the  great  work  to  a 
felicitous  consummation.  And  now  tlie  Queen  of  Great  Brit- 
ain and  the  President  of  the  United  States  stand  waiting  his 
permission  to  speak,  and  ready  to  speak  at  his  bidding;  and 
the  people  of  these  two  great  countries  await  only  the  signal 
from  him  to  rush  into  a  fraternal  embrace  which  will  prove 
the  oblivion  of  ages  of  suspicion,  of  jealousies  and  of  anger." 

Mr.  Seward  might  well  refer  with  pride  to  the  ])art 
he  took  in  sustaining  this  enterprise.  He  was  from 
the  beginning  its  firmest  supporter.  The  bill  was  intro- 
duced Into  the  Senate  by  him,  and  was  carried  through 


SEEKING  AID  FROM  CONGRESS. 


99 


mainly  by  his  influence,  seconded  by  Mr.  Eusk,  Mr. 
Douglas,  and  one  or  two  others.  It  was  introduced  on 
the  ninth  of  January,  and  came  up  for  consideration 
on  the  twentyrfirst.  Its  friends  had  hoped  that  it 
might  pass  with  entire  unanimity.  But  such  was  the 
opposition,  that  the  discussion  lasted  two  days.  The 
report  shows  that  it  was  a  subject  of  animated  and 
almost  angry  debate,  Avhich  brought  out  the  secret  of 
the  opposition  to  aid  being  given  by  the  Government. 

Probably  no  measure  Avas  ever  introduced  in  Con- 
gress for  the  help  of  any  commercial  enterprise,  that 
some  member,  imagining  that  it  was  to  benefit  a  par- 
ticular section,  did  not  object  that  it  was  "  unconstitu- 
tional " !  This  objection  was  well  answered  in  this 
case  by  Mr.  Benjamin,  of  Louisiana,  who  asked : 

"If  we  have  a  right  to  hire  a  warehouse  at  Port  Mahon, 
in  the  Mediterranean,  for  storing  naval  stores,  liave  we  not 
a  right  to  hire  a  company  to  carry  our  messages  ?  I 
should  as  soon  think  of  questioning  the  constitutional  power 
of  the  Government  to  pay  freight  to  a  vessel  for  carrying  its 
mail-bags  across  the  ocean,  as  to  pay  a  telegraph  company 
a  certain  sum  per  annum  for  conveying  its  messages  by  the 
use  of  the  electric  telegi-aph." 


This  touched  the  precise  ground  on  which  the  appro- 
priation was  asked.  In  their  memorial  to  the  Presi- 
dent, the  Company  had  said :  "  Such  a  contract  will, 
we  suppose,  fall  within  the  provisions  of  the  Constitu- 


100 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


i  ! 


tion  in  regard  to  postal  arrangements,  of  which  this  is 
only  a  new  and  improved  form." 

Mr.  Bayard,  of  Delaware,  explained  in  the  same 
terms  the  nature  of  the  proposed  agreement : 

"  It  is  a  mail  operation.  It  is  a  Post-Offlce  arrangement. 
It  is  for  the  transmission  of  intelligence,  and  that  is  what  I 
understood  to  be  the  function  of  the  Post-Offlce  Department. 
I  hold  it,  therefore,  to  be  as  legitimately  within  the  proper 
powers  of  the  Government,  as  the  employing  of  a  stage- 
coach, or  a  steam-car,  or  a  ship,  to  transport  the  mails, 
either  to  foreign  countries,  or  to  different  portions  of  our 
own  country." 

Of  course,  as  in  all  appropriations  of  money,  the 
question  of  expense  had  to  be  considered,  and  here 
there  were  not  wanting  some  to  cry  out  against  the 
extravagance  of  paying  seventy  thousand  dollars  a 
year!  We  had  not  then  got  used  to  the  colossal 
expenditures  of  war,  when  we  grew  familiar  with 
paying  three  millions  a  day  !  Seventy  thousand  dol- 
lars seemed  a  great  sum;  but  Mr.  Bayard  in  reply 
reminded  them  that  England  then  paid  nine  hundred 
thousand  dollars  a  year  for  the  transportation  of  the 
mails  between  the  United  States  and  England ;  and 
argued  that  it  was  a  very  small  amount  for  the  great 
service  rendered.    He  said: 

"We  have  sent  out  ships  to  make  explorations  and 
observations  in  the  Red  Sea  and  in  South  America  ;  we  sent 


SEEKING  AID  FROM  CONGRESS. 


101 


one  or  two  expensive  expeditions  to  Japan,  and  published  at 
great  cost  some  elegant  books  narrating  their  exploits.  The 
expense  even  in  ships  alone,  in  that  instance,  was  at  the  rate 
of  twenty  to  one  here,  but  no  cry  of  economy  was  then 
raised. "  "I  look  upon  this  proposition  solely  as  a  business 
measure  ;  in  that  point  of  view  I  believe  the  Government 
will  obtain  more  service  for  the  amount  of  money,  than  by 
any  other  contract  that  we  have  ever  made,  or  now  can 
make,  for  the  transmission  of  intelligence. " 

As  to  the  expense  of  furnishing  a  ship  of  war  to 
assist  in  laying  the  cable,  Mr.  Douglas  asked  : 

"Will  it  cost  anything  to  furnish  the  use  of  one  of  our 
steamships  ?  They  are  idle.  We  have  no  practical  use  for 
them  at  present.  They  are  in  commission.  They  have  their 
coal  on  board,  and  their  full  armament.  They  will  be 
rendering  no  service  to  us  if  they  are  not  engaged  in  this 
work.  If  there  was  nothing  more  than  a  question  of  national 
pride  involved,  I  would  gladly  furnish  the  use  of  an  Amer- 
ican ship  for  that  purpose.  England  tenders  one  of  her 
national  vessels,  and  why  should  we  not  tender  one  also  ? 
It  costs  England  nothing,  and  it  costs  us  nothing." 

Mr.  Eusk  made  the  same  point,  in  arguing  that  ships 
might  be  sent  to  assist  in  laying  the  cable,  giving  this 
homely  but  sufficient  reason  :  "  I  think  that  is  better 
than  to  keep  them  rotting  at  the  navy -yards,  with  the 
officers  froUicking  on  shore." 

Mr.  Douglas  urged  still  further : 

"American  citizens  have  commenced  this  enterprise. 
The  honor  and  the  glory  of  the  achievement,  if  successful, 


I 


102        STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

will  be  due  to  American  genius  and  American  daring.  Why 
should  the  American  Grovernment  be  so  penurious — I  do  not 
know  ih&iu  that  is  the  proper  word,  for  it  costs  nothing — why 
should  we  be  actuated  by  so  illiberal  a  spirit  as  to  refuse  the 
use  of  one  of  our  steamships  to  convey  the  wire  when  it 
does  not  cost  one  farthing  to  the  Treasury  of  the  United 
States  ? " 

But  behind  all  these  objections  of  expense  and  of 
want  of  constitutional  power,  was  one  greater  than  all, 
and  that  v/as  England  !  The  real  animus  of  the  oppo- 
sition was  a  fear  of  giving  some  advantage  to  Great 
Britain.  This  has  always  been  sufficient  to  excite  the 
hostility  of  a  certain  class  of  politicians.  No  matter 
what  the  subject  of  the  proposed  cooperation,  if  it 
were  purely  a  scientific  expedition,  they  were  sure 
England  was  going  to  profit  by  it  to  our  injury.  So 
now  there  were  those  who  felt  that  in  this  submarine 
cable  England  was  literally  crawling  under  the  sea  to 
get  some  advantage  of  the  United  States ! 

This  jealousy  and  hostility  spoke  loudest  from  the 
mouths  of  Southerners.  It  is  noteworthy  that  men 
who,  in  less  than  five  years  after,  were  figuring  abroad, 
courting  foreign  influence  against  their  own  country, 
were  then  fiercest  in  denunciation  of  England.  Mason 
and  Slidell  voted  together  against  the  bill,  Butler,  of 
South  Carolina,  was  very  bitter  in  his  opposition — 
saying,  with  a  sneer,  that  "  this  was  simply  a  mail  ser- 
vice under  the  surveillance  of  Great  Britain  " — ^and  so 


SEEKING     JD  FROM  CONGRESS. 


108 


was  Hunter,  of  Virginia ;  wliile  Jones,  of  Tennessee, 
bursting  with  patriotism,  found  a  sufficient  reason  for 
his  o})position,  in  that  "he  did  not  want  anything  to 
do  with  England  or  Englisliraen !  " 

But  it  should  be  said  in  justice,  that  to  this  general 
hostilit}''  of  the  South  tliere  were  some  exceptions. 
Benjamin,  of  Louisiana,  gave  the  bill  an  earnest  sup- 
port ;  so  did  Mallory,  of  Florida,  Chairman  of  the 
Naval  Committee ;  and  especially  that  noble  South- 
erner, Eusk,  of  Texas,  "with  whose  a,id,"  as  Mr. 
Seward  said,  ^  it  seemed  that  there:  was  no  good 
thing  which  he  could  not  do  in  Congress."  Mr. 
Rusk  declared  that  he  regarded  it  as  "  the  great 
enterprise  of  the  age,"  and  exjjressed  his  surprise  at 
the  very  moderate  subsidy  asked  for,  only  seventy 
thousand  dollars  a  year,  saying  that,  "  with  a  reason- 
able prospect  of  success  in  an  enterprise,  calculated  to 
produce  such  beneficial  results,  he  should  be  willing  to 
vote  two  hundred  thousand  dollars." 

But  with  the  majority  of  Southern  Senators,  there 
was  a  repugnance  to  acting  in  concert  with  England, 
which  could  not  be  overcome.  Thev  arofued  that  this 
was  not  truly  a  line  between  England  and  the  United 
States,  but  between  England  and  her  own  colonies — 
a  line  of  which  she  alone  was  to  reap  the  benefit. 
BotJi  its  termini  were  in  the  British  possessions.  In 
the  event  of  war  this  would  give  a  tremendous  advan- 
tage to  the  power  holding  both  ends  of  the  line.    All 


104 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


the  speakers  harped  on  this  string;  and  it  may  be 
worth  a  page  or  two  to  see  how  this  was  met  and 
answered.  When  Mr.  Hunter,  of  Virginia,  asked, 
"  What  security  are  we  to  have  that  in  time  of  war 
we  shall  have  the  use  of  the  telegraph  as  well  as  the 
British  Government  ? "  Mr.  Seward  answered : 


"  It  appears  not  to  have  been  contemplated  by  the  British 
Government  that  there  would  ever  be  any  interruption  of 
the  amicable  relations  between  the  two  countries.  There- 
fore nothing  was  proposed  in  their  contract  for  the  contin- 
gency of  war. 

"That  the  two  termini  are  both  in  the  British  dominions 
is  true  ;  but  it  is  equally  true  that  there  is  no  other  terminus 
on  this  continent  where  it  is  practicable  to  make  that  com- 
munication except  in  the  British  dominions.  We  have  no 
dominions  on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  Ocean.  There 
is  no  other  route  known  on  which  the  telegraphic  wire  could 
be  drawn  through  the  ocean  so  as  to  find  a  proper  resting- 
place  or  anchorage  except  this.  The  distance  on  this  route 
is  seventeen  hundred  miles.  It  is  not  even  known  that  the 
telegraphic  wire  will  carry  the  fluid  with  sufficient  strength 
to  communicate  across  those  seventeen  hundred  miles. 
That  is  yet  a  scientific  experiment,  and  the  Company  are 
prepared  to  make  it. 

"In  regard  to  war,  all  the  danger  is  this:  There  is  a 
hazard  of  war  at  some  future  time,  and  whatever  arrange- 
ments we  might  make,  war  would  break  them  up.  No 
treaty  would  save  us.  My  own  hope  is,  that  after  the  tele- 
graplii"  '  ae  is  once  laid,  there  will  be  no  more  war  between 
L.3     ,:,:v..  ':)L,tos  and  Great  Britain.     I  believe  that  when- 


SEEKING  AID  FROM  CONGRESS. 


105 


ever  such  a  connection  as  this  shall  be  made,  we  diminish 
the  chances  of  war,  and  diminish  them  in  such  a  degree, 
that  it  is  not  nece^^sary  to  take  them  into  consideration  at 
the  present  moment. 

' '  Let  us  see  where  we  are.  What  shall  we  gain  by  re- 
fusing to  enter  into  this  agreement  ?  If  we  do  not  make  it, 
the  British  Government  has  only  to  add  ten  thousand 
pounds  sterling  more  annually,  and  they  have  the  whole 
monopoly  of  this  wire,  without  any  stipulation  whatever — 
not  only  in  war  but  in  peace.  If  we  make  this  contract  with 
the  Company,  we  at  least  secure  the  benefit  of  it  in  time  of 
peace,  and  we  postpone  and  delay  the  dangers  of  war.  If 
there  shall  ever  be  war,  it  would  abrogate  all  treaties  that 
can  be  made  in  regard  to  this  subject,  unless  it  be  true,  as 
the  honorable  Senator  from  Virginia,  thinks,  that  treaties 
can  be  made  which  will  be  regarded  as  obligatory  by  nations 
in  time  of  war.  If  so,  we  have  all  the  advantages  in  time 
of  peace,  for  the  purpose  of  making  such  treaties  hereafter, 
without  the  least  reason  to  infer  that  there  would  be  any 
reluctance  on  the  part  of  the  British  Government  to  enter 
into  that  negotiation  with  us,  if  we  should  desire  to  do  so. 
The  British  Government,  if  it  had  such  a  disposition  as  the 
honorable  Senator  supposes,  would  certainly  have  proposed 
to  monopolize  all  this  telegraphic  line,  instead  of  proposing 
to  divide  it."* 

*It  is  worthy  of  notice,  that  when  the  Bill  granting  a  charter  to  the 
Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  was  offered  In  the  British  Parliament,  at 
least  one  nobleman  found  fault  with  it  on  this  very  ground,  that  it  gave 
away  important  advantages  which  properly  belonged  to  England,  and 
which  she  ought  to  reserve  to  lierself  : 

"  In  the  House  of  Lords,  on  the  twentieth  of  July,  1857,  on  the  mo- 
tion for  the  thhd  reading  of  the  Telegraph  Company's  bill, 

"Lord  Redesdale  called  attentiou  to  the  fact  that,  although  the  ter- 


tr^ 


106 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Mr.  Hale  spoke  in  the  same  strain : 

"  It  seems  to  me  tliat  the  war  spirit  and  the  contingencies 
of  war  are  brought  in  a  httle  too  often  upon  mattera  of  legis- 
lation which  liave  no  necessary  connection  with  them.  If 
we  are  to  be  governed  by  considerations  of  that  sort,  they 
would  paralyze  all  improvements  ;  they  would  stop  the 
great  appropriations  for  commerce;  they  would  at  once 
neutralize  that  policy  which  sets  our  ocean  steamers  afloat. 
Nobody  pretends  that  the  intercourse  wliich  is  kept  up  be- 
tween Great  Britain  and  this  country  by  our  ocean  steamers 
would  be  continued  in  time  of  war;  nor  the  communication 
with  France  or  other  nations. 

"If  we  are  deterred  for  that  reason,  we  shall  be  pursuing 
a  policy  that  Avill  paralyze  improvements  on  those  parts  of 
the  coast  wliich  lie  contiguous  to  the  lakes.  The  city  of 
Detroit  will  have  to  be  abandoned,  beautiful  and  progressive 

mini  of  the  proposed  telegraph  were  both  In  her  Majesty's  dominions, 
namely,  in  Ireland  and  Newfoundland,  the  American  Government  were 
to  enjoy  the  same  priority  as  the  British  Government  with  regard  to  the 
transmission  of  messages.  It  was  said  that  this  equal  right  was  owing 
to  the  fact  that  a  joint  guarantee  had  been  given  by  the  two  Govern- 
ments. He  Oiought,  however,  it  would  have  hen  far  better  policy  on  the  part 
of  her  JUajcsty\s  Government  if  they  had  either  undertaken  the  whole  (jitarnntee 
themselves,  and  thus  had  obtained  free  and  sole  control  over  the  conntctimj  line 
of  telegraph,  or  had  invited  our  own  colon  i<  it  to  jmrticijMte  in  that  gtiarantee, 
rather  than  have  allowed  a  foreign  government  to  Join  in  making  it.  At  the 
same  time,  if  the  cliiuse  in  question  liad  the  sanction  of  her  Majesty's 
ministry,  it  was  not  his  intention  to  object  to  it. 

"Earl  Granville  said  this  telegraph  was  intended  to  connect  two 
great  countries,  and,  as  the  two  Governments  had  gone  hand  In  hand 
with  regard  to  tlie  guarantee,  It  seemed  only  reasonable  that  both 
should  have  the  same  rights  as  to  transmitting  messages. 

"The  bill  was  then  read  a  third  time  and  passed." 


SEEKING   AID  FROM   CONGRESS. 


107 


as  it  is,  because  in  time  of  war  the  mansions  of  her  citizens 
there  lie  within  the  range  of  British  guns. 

"What  will  the  suspension  bridge  at  Niagara  be  good 
for  in  a  time  of  war  ?  If  tlie  British  cut  otf  their  end  of  it, 
our  end  will  not  be  worth  much.  I  believe  tlnit  among  the 
things  which  will  bind  us  together  in  peace,  this  telegraphic 
wire  will  be  one  of  the  most  potent.  It  will  bind  the  two 
countries  together  literally  with  cords  of  iron  that  will  hold 
us  in  the  l)onds  of  peace.  I  repudiate  entirely  the  policy 
which  refu.ses  to  adopt  it,  because  in  time  of  Avar  it  may  be 
interrupted.  Such  a  policy  as  that  would  drive  us  back  to  a 
state  of  barbarism.  It  would  destroy  the  spirit  of  progress  ; 
it  would  retard  improvement  ;  it  would  paralyze  all  the 
advances  which  are  making  us  a  more  civilized,  and  a  more 
informed  and  a  better  people  than  the  one  which  pre- 
ceded us." 

Mr.  Douglas  cat  the  matter  short  by  saying : 

"  I  am  willing  to  vote  for  this  bill  as  a  peace  measure,  as 
a  commercial  measui*e— but  not  as  a  war  measure  ;  and 
when  war  comes,  let  us  rely  on  our  power  and  ability  to 
take  this  end  of  the  wire,  and  keep  it. " 

Mr.  Benjamin  said : 

"The  sum  of  money  that  this  Government  proposes  to 
give  for  the  use  of  this  telegraph  will  amount,  in  the 
twenty-five  years,  to  something  between  £.']00,0()0  and  £400,- 
000.  Now,  if  this  be  a  matter  of  such  immense  importance 
to  Great  Britain— if  this  be  the  golden  opportunity-  and  if, 
indeed,  her  control  of  this  line  be  such  a  powerful  engine, 
whether  in  war  or  in  peace,  is  it  not  most  extraordinary 
that  she  proposes  to  us  a  full  share  in  its  benefits  and  in  its 


108        STORY  OF  TFIE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

control,  and  allows  to  our  Government  equal  rights  with 
herself  in  the  transmission  of  communications  for  the  sum 
of  about  £300,000,  to  be  paid  in  annual  instalments  through 
twenty-flve  years  ?  If  this  be,  indeed,  a  very  important 
instrumentality  in  behalf  of  Great  Britain  for  the  conduct 
of  her  commerce,  the  government  of  her  possessions,  or  the 
etRcient  action  of  her  troops  in  time  of  war,  the  £300,000 
expended  upon  it  are  but  as  a  drop  in  the  bucket  when  com- 
pared with  the  immense  resources  of  that  empire.  I  think, 
therefore,  we  may  as  well  discard  from  our  consideration  of 
this  subject  all  these  visions  about  the  immense  importance 
of  the  governmental  aid  in  this  matter,  to  be  rendered  under 
the  provisions  of  this  bill. 

"  Mr.  President,  let  us  not  always  be  thinking  of  war  ;  let 
us  be  using  means  to  preserve  peace.  Tlie  amount  that 
would  be  expended  by  this  Government  in  six  months'  war 
with  Great  Britain,  would  far  exceed  every  thing  that  we 
shall  have  to  pay  for  the  use  of  this  telegraphic  line  for  the 
entire  twenty-five  years  of  the  contract;  and  do  you  not 
believe  that  this  instrumentality  will  be  sufficiently  eificient 
to  bind  together  the  peace,  the  commerce,  and  the  interests 
of  the  two  countries,  so  as  even  to  defer  a  war  for  six 
months  or  twelve  months,  if  one  should  ever  become  inevit- 
able, beyond  the  period  at  which  it  would  otherwise  occur  ? 
If  it  does  that,  it  will  in  six  or  eight  or  nine  months  repay 
the  expenditures  of  twenty-flve  years. 

"Again,  Sir,  I  say,  if  Great  Britain  wants  it  for  war,  she 
will  put  it  there  at  her  own  expense.  It  is  not  three  hundred 
thousand  pounds,  or  four  hundred  thousand  pounds,  that 
will  arrest  her.  If,  on  the  contrary,  this  be  useful  to  com- 
merce— useful  in  an  eminent  degree — useful  for  the  preser- 
vation of  peace,  then  I  confess  I  feel  some  pride  that  my 


SEEKING  AID  FROM  CONGRESS. 


100 


country  should  aid  in  establishing  it.  I  confess  1  feel  a 
glow  of  something  like  pride  that  I  belong  to  the  great 
human  family  when  I  see  these  triumphs  of  science,  by 
which  mind  is  brought  into  instant  communication  with 
mind  across  the  intervening  oceans,  which,  to  our  unen- 
lightened forefather,  seemed  placed  there  by  Providence 
as  an  eternal  barrier  to  conmiuuication  between  man 
and  man.  Now,  Sir,  we  speak  from  minute  to  minute. 
Scarcely  can  a  gun  be  llred  in  war  on  the  European  shore 
ere  its  eclioes  will  reverberate  among  our  own  mountains, 
and  be  heanl  by  every  citizen  in  the  land.  All  this  is  a 
triumph  of  science — of  American  genius,  and  I  for  one  feel 
proud  of  it,  and  feel  desirous  of  sustaining  and  pro- 
moting it." 

Mr.  Douglas  said : 

"Our  policy  is  essentially  a  policy  of  peace.  We  want 
peace  with  the  whole  world,  above  all  other  considerations. 
There  never  has  been  a  time  in  the  history  of  this  Republic, 
when  peace  was  more  essential  to  our  prosperity,  to  our 
advancement,  and  to  our  progress,  than  it  is  now.  We  have 
made  great  progress  in  time  of  peace — an  almost  inconceiv- 
able progress  since  the  last  war  with  Great  Britain.  Twenty- 
five  years  more  of  peace  will  put  us  far  in  advance  of  any 
other  nation  on  earth." 


It  was  fit  that  Mr.  Seward,  who  introduced  the 
bill,  and  opened  the  debate,  should  close  in  words 
that  now  seem  prophetic,  and  show  the  large  wis- 
dom, looking  before  and  after,  of  this  eminent  states- 
man: 


110        STORY  OF  TIIK  ATLANTIC  TELEOIIAPII. 

"  There  wns  an  Ainoricaii  citizen  who,  in  tlie  yciir  1770,  or 
thereabout,  indicated  to  tliis  country,  to  Great  Britain,  and 
to  tlie  world,  the  use  of  tlie  lijflitninjf  for  the  purposes  of 
conmiunicution  of  intelligence,  and  that  was  Dr.  Franklin. 
I  am  sure  that  there  is  not  only  no  member  of  the  Senate, 
but  no  American  citizen,  liowever  humble,  who  would  be 
willing'  to  have  struck  out  from  the  achievements  of  Ameri- 
can ill'"  ntion  this  great  discovery  of  the  lightning  as  an 
agent  for  the  uses  of  human  society. 

"The  suggestion  made  by  that  distinguished  and  illus- 
trious American  was  fo  »./ed  up  some  fifty  years  afterward 
by  another  suggestion  and  another  indication  from  another 
American,  and  that  was  Mr.  Sanmel  F.  B.  Morse,  who  indi- 
cated to  the  American  Government  the  means  by  which  the 
lightning  could  be  made  to  write,  and  by  which  the  tele- 
graphic wires  could  be  made  to  supply  the  place  of  wind  and 
steam  for  carrying  intelligence. 

"We  have  followed  out  the  suggestions  of  these  eminent 
Americans  hitherto,  and  I  am  sure  at  a  very  small  cost.  The 
Government  of  the  United  States  appropriated  $40,000  to 
test  the  practicability  of  Morse's  suggestion  ;  the  $•40,000  thus 
expended  established  its  practicability  and  its  use.  Now, 
there  is  no  person  on  the  face  of  the  globe  who  can  measure 
the  price  at  which,  if  a  reasonable  man,  he  would  be  willing 
to  strike  from  the  world  the  use  of  tlie  magnetic  telegraph  as 
a  means  of  communication  between  different  portions  of  the 
same  country.  This  great  invention  is  now  to  be  brought 
into  its  further,  wider,  and  broader  use — the  use  by  the 
general  society  of  nations,  international  use,  the  use  of 
the  society  of  mankind.  Its  benefits  are  large — just  in  pro- 
portion to  the  extent  and  scope  of  its  operation.  They 
are  not  merely  benefits  to  the  Government,  but  they  are 


SEEKING  AID   FROM   COXOUESS. 


Ill 


bcnofltH  to  tlio  uitizciiK  uiul  subjoets  of  all  imtion.s  and  of  all 
StatcH. 

"I  might  onlargo  furtlior  on  this  sul)jfct,  but  I  forbear  to 
do8o,  because  I  know  tluit  at  some  futurti  time  I  nIuiII  come 
across  the  record  of  wiiat  I  liavo  said  to-day.  I  know  tliat 
then  what  I  have  said  to-day,  by  way  of  anticipation,  will 
fall  so  far  short  of  the  reality  of  benefits  which  individuals. 
States,  and  nations  will  have  derived  from  tliis  great  enter- 
prise, that  I  shall  not  reflect  upon  it  without  disappointment 
and  mortiiicatiou." 

After  such  argumonts,  it  should  seem  that  there 
could  be  but  one  opinion,  and  yet  the  bill  passed  the 
Senate  by  only  one  majority  !  It  also  had  to  run  the 
gauntlet  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  where  it 
encountered  the  same  hostility.  But  at  length  it  got 
through,  and  was  signed  by  President  Pierce  on  the 
third  of  March,  the  day  before  he  went  out  of  office. 
Thus  it  became  a  law. 


CHAPTER  VIIT. 


THE   EXPEDITION    OF    1857. 


Scarcely  was  the  business  with  the  Auerican  Gov- 
ernment completed,  before  Mr.  Field  was  recalled  to 
England.  Once  more  upon  the  waves,  he  forgot  the 
long  delay  and  the  vexatious  opposition  which  he  left 
behind — the  fogs  of  Newfoundland,  and  the  denser 
fogs  of  Washington.  lie  Avas  bound  for  England,  and 
there  at  least  the  work  did  not  stand  still.  All  winter 
long  the  wheels  of  the  machinery  had  kept  in  motion. 
The  cable  was  uncoiling  its  mighty  folds  to  a  length 
sufficient  to  span  the  Atlantic,  and  at  last  there  was 
hope  of  victory. 

Although  the  United  States  Government  had  seemed 
a  little  ungracious  in  its  delay,  it  yet  rendered,  this 
3'ear  and  the  next,  most  important  service.  Already  it 
had  prepared  the  way,  by  the  deep-sea  soundings, 
which  it  was  the  first  to  take  across  the  Atlantic.  It 
now  rendered  additional  and  substantial  aid  in  lending 
to  this  enterprise  the  two  finest  ship^  in  the  American 
navy — the  Niagara  and  the  Susquehaiina.  The  former 
was  built  some  dozen  years  before  by  /George  Steers — 
a  name  celebrated  among  our  marineyarchitects  as  the 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF   1857. 


113 


constructor  of  the  famous  yacht  America,  that  "  race- 
horse of  the  sea,"  which  had  crossed  the  Atlantic,  and 
carried  oif  the  prize  in  the  British  Channel  from  the 
yachts  of  England — and  was  designed  to  be  a  model 
of  naval  architecture.  She  was  the  largest  steam- 
frigate  in  the  world,  exceeding  in  tonnage  the  heaviest 
line-of-battle  ship  in  the  English  navy,  and  yet  so  finely 
modelled  that,  propelled  only  by  a  so^^w,  she  could 
make  ten  or  twelve  miles  an  hour.  Notwithstanding 
her  bulk,  she  was  intended  to  carry  but  twelve  guns — 
being  one  of  ihe  first  ships  in  our  navy  to  substitute  a 
few  heavy  Dahlgrens  for  half  a  dozen  times  as  many 
fifty-six-pounders.  This  was  the  beginning  of  that 
revolution  in  naval  warfare,  which  was  carried  to  such 
extent  in  the  Monitors  and  other  ironclads  introduced 
in  our  civil  war.  Each  gun  weighed  fourteen  tons — 
requiring  a  crew  of  twenty -five  men  to  wield  it — and 
threw  a  shell  of  one  hundred  and  thirty  pounds  a  dis- 
tance of  three  miles.  One  or  two  broadsides  from  such 
a  deck  would  sink  an  old-fashioned  seventy-four,  or 
even  a  ninety  or  hundred-gun  ship. 

But  as  the  Niagara  was  now  to  go  on  an  errand  of 
peace,  this  formidable  armament  was  not  taken  on 
board.  She  was  built  with  what  is  known  as  a  flush 
deck,  clear  from  stem  to  stern,  and  being  without 
her  guns,  was  left  free  for  the  more  peaceful  burden 
that  she  was  to  bear.  When  the  orders  were  received 
from  "Washington,  she  was  lying  at  the  Brooklyn 
8 


if 


an 


n 


114        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Nav3'-Yard,  but  began  immediately  to  prepare  for 
her  expedition.  Bulkheads  were  knocked  down,  above 
and  below,  to  make  room  for  the  huge  monster  of  the 
deep  that  was  to  be  coiled  within  her  sides.  These 
preparations  occupied  four  or  five  weeks.  On  the 
twenty -second  of  April,  she  made  a  trial  trip  down  the 
bay,  and  two  days  after  sailed  for  England,  in  com- 
mand of  Captain  "William  L.  Hudson,  one  of  the  old- 
est and  best  officers  in  our  navy,  who,  to  his  past  ser- 
vices to  his  country,  was  now  to  add  another  in  the 
expeditions  of  this  and  the  following  j^ear.  He  had 
with  him  as  Chief  Engineer  Mr.  William  E.  Everett, 
whose  mechanical  genius  proved  so  important  in  con- 
structing the  paying-out  machinery. 

Besides  the  regular  ship's  crew,  no  one  was  received 
on  board  except  Mr.  Field  and  Professor  Morse,  who 
went  as  the  electrician  of  the  Newfoundland  Com- 
pany ;  and  two  officers  of  the  Russian  navy — Captain 
Schwartz  and  Lieutenant  Kolobnin — who  were  per- 
mitted by  our  Government,  as  an  act  of  national  court- 
esy, to  go  out  to  witness  the  great  experiment.  Tlie 
regulations  of  the  navy  did  not  admit  correspondents 
of  the  press;  but  Professor  Morse  was  permitted  to 
take  a  secretary,  and  chose  Mr.  Mullaly,  who  reported 
for  the  New  York  Herald,  and  who  had  thus  an 
opportunity  to  witness  all  the  preparations  on  land 
and  sea,  and  to  furnish  those  minute  and  detailed 
accounts  of  the  several  expeditions,  which  contribute 


THE   EXPEDITION  OF  1857. 


115 


some  important  chapters  in  the  history  of  this  enter- 
prise. 

The  Niagara  arrived  out  on  the  fourteenth  of  May, 
and  cast  anchor  off  Gravesend,  about  twenty-five  miles 
below  London.  As  it  was  the  first  time — at  least  for 
many  years — that  an  American  ship  of  war  had  ap- 
peared in  the  Thames,  this  fact,  with  her  fine  propor- 
tions and  the  object  for  wliich  she  came,  attracted  a 
crowd  of  visitors.  Every  day,  from  morning  to  night, 
a  fleet  of  boats  was  around  her,  and  men  and  women 
thronged  over  her  sides.  Everybody  was  welcome. 
All  were  received  with  the  utmost  courtesy,  and 
allowed  access  to  all  parts  of  the  ship.  Among  these 
Avere  many  visitors  of  distinction.  Here  came  Lady 
Franklin  to  thank  the  generous  i»-\tion  that  had  sent 
two  expeditions  to  recover  her  husband  lost  amid 
Polar  seas.  Slie  was,  of  course,  the  object  of  general 
attention  an(l  respectful  sympathy. 

While  lying  in  the  Thames,  the  Agamemnon,  that 
was  to  take  the  other  half  of  the  cable,  passed  up  the 
river.  This  was  a  historical  ship,  having  borne  the 
flag  of  the  British  admiral  lu  the  bombardment  of 
Sebastopol,  and  distinguislu il  herself  by  steaming  up 
within  a  few  hundred  yards  of  the  guns  of  the  for- 
tress. After  passing  through  the  fires  of  that  terrible 
day,  she  was  justly  an  object  of  i)riile  to  Britons, 
whose  hearts  swelled  as  they  saw  this  oak-ribbed  levi- 
athan, that  had  come  "  out  of  the  gates  of  death,  out 


%> 


u 


w 


116        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

of  the  jaws  of  hell,"  now  preparing  to  take  part  in 
achievements  of  peace,  not  less  glorious  than  those  of 
war.  She  was  under  command  of  Captain  Noddal,  of 
the  Eoyal  Navy. 

As  the  Agamemnon  came  up  the  river  in  grand 
style,  she  recognized  the  Niagara  lying  off  Gravesend, 
and  manning  her  yards,  gave  her  a  succession  of  those 
English  hurras  so  stirring  to  the  blood,  when  heard 
on  land  or  sea,  to  which  our  tars  replied  with  lusty 
American  cheers.  It  was  pleasant  to  observe,  from 
this  time,  the  hearty  good- will  that  existed  between 
the  officers  and  crews  of  the  two  ships,  who  in  their 
exertions  for  the  common  object,  were  animated  only 
by  a  generous  rivalry. 

A  few  days  after,  the  Niagara  was  joined  by  the 
Susquehanna,  Captain  Sands,  which  had  been  ordered 
from  the  Mediterranean  to  take  part  also  in  the 
expedition.  She  was  a  fit  companion,  ship,  being 
the  largest  side-wheel  steamer  in  our  navy,  as  the 
other  Avas  the  largest  propeller.  Both  together, 
they  were  worthy  representatives  of  the  American 
navy. 

When  the  Niagara  arrived  in  the  Thames,  it  was 
supposed  she  would  take  on  board  her  half  of  the 
cable  from  the  manufactory  of  Glass,  Elliot  &  Co.,  at 
Greenwich ;  but  on  account  of  her  great  length,  it 
was  difficult  to  bring  her  up  alongside  the  wharf  in 
front  of  the  works.      This  was  therefore  left  to  the 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1857. 


117 


Agamemnon,  while  the  Niagara  was  ordered  around 
to  Liverpool,  to  take  the  other  half  from  the  worlcs  of 
Newali  &  Co.,  at  Birtienhead,  opposite  that  city. 
Accordingly  she  left  Gvavesend  on  the  fifth  of  June, 
and  reached  Portsmouth  the  next  day,  where  she 
remained  a  fortnight,  to  have  some  further  alterations 
to  fit  her  to  receive  the  cable.  Although  she  had  been 
already  pretty  well  "scooped  out,'*  fore  and  aft,  the 
cry  was  still  for  room.  Officers  had  to  shift  for  them- 
selves, as  their  quarters  were  swept  away  to  make  a 
Avider  berth  for  their  iron  guest.  But  all  submitted 
Avith  excellent  grace.  Like  true  sailors,  they  took  it 
gayly  as  if  they  were  only  clearing  the  decks  for  bat- 
tle. Among  other  alterations  for  safety,  was  a  frame- 
work or  cage  of  iron,  which  was  put  over  the  stern 
of  the  ship,  to  keep  the  cable  from  getting  entangled 
in  the  screw.  As  soon  as  these  Avere  completed,  the 
Niagara  left  for  Liverpool,  and  on  the  twenty -second 
of  June  cast  anchor  in  the  Mersey.  Here  she  attracted 
as  much  attention  as  in  the  Thames,  being  crowded 
with  visitors  during  the  week ;  and  on  Sundays,  Avlien 
none  were  received  on  board,  the  river-boats  sought  to 
gratify  public  curiosity  by  sailing  round  her.  The 
officers  of  the  ship  Avere  objects  of  constant  hospitalitA', 
botli  from  private  citizens  and  from  the  public  author- 
ities. The  Mayor  of  Livei-pool  gave  tlieni  a  dinner, 
the  Chamber  of  Commei'ce  anotlier,  while  the  Ameri- 
cans in  Liver})ool  entertained  them  on  the  fourth  of 


ff 


,' 


M: 

'i  il 

i 

[i 


118 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH, 


July — the  first  public  celebration  of  our  national  anni- 
versary ever  had  in  that  city. 

But  while  these  festivities  were  kept  up  on  shore, 
hard  work  was  done  on  board  the  ship.  To  coil 
thirteen  hundred  miles  of  cable  was  an  immense  under- 
taking. Yet  it  was  all  done  by  the  sailors  themselves. 
Ko  compulsion  was  used,  and  none  was  needed.  Xo 
sooner  was  there  a  o  1  '  ••  ^'olunteers,  than  men 
stepped   forward   in  gm^u  ^3rs  than  could  be 

emplo3'ed.  Out  of  these  were  ci  os,3n  one  hundred  and 
twenty  stalwart  fellows,  li^  were  divided  into  two 
gangs  of  pixty  men,  and  eacn  jj,:ing  ;  \io  vatches  of 
thirty,  which  relieved  each  other,  and  aii  went  to 
work  with  such  enthusiasm,  that  in  three  weeks  the 
herculean  task  was  completed.  The  event  was  cele- 
brated by  a  final  dinner  given  by  the  shareholders  of 
the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  in  Liverpool  to  Ca]> 
tain  Hudson  and  Captain  Sands  of  the  Susquehanna, 
Avhose  arrival  in  the  Mersey  enabletl  them  to  extend 
their  hospitalities  to  the  officers  of  both  ships. 

While  the  Niagara  was  thus  doing  her  part,  the 
same  scene  was  repeated  on  board  the  Agamemnon, 
Avhich  was  still  lying  in  the  Thames.  There  the  work 
was  completed  about  the  same  day,  and  the  occasion 
duly  honored  by  a  scene  as  unique  as  it  was  beautiful. 
Savs  the  London  Times  of  July  twenty-fourth  : 

"All  the  details  connected  with  the  manufacture  and 
stowage  of  the  cable  are  now  completed,  and  the  conclusion 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1857. 


119 


of  the  arduous  labor  -was  celebrated  yesterday  with  high 
festivity  and  rejoicing.  All  the  artisans  who  have  been 
engaged  upon  the  great  work,  with  their  wives  and  families, 
a  large  party  of  the  officers,  with  the  sailors  from  the 
Agamemnon,  and  a  number  of  distinguished  scientific  vis- 
itors, were  entertained  upon  this  occasion  at  a  kind  of  fete 
champetre  at  Belvidere  House,  the  seat  of  Sir  Culling  Eard- 
ley,  near  Erith.  The  festival  was  held  in  the  beautiful  park 
which  had  been  obligingly  opened  by  Sir  Culling  Eardley 
for  the  iJurpose.  Although  in  no  way  personally  interested 
in  the  project,  the  honorable  baronet  has  all  along  evinced 
the  liveliest  sympathy  with  tlie  undertaking,  and  himself 
proposed  to  have  the  completion  of  the  work  celebrated 
in  his  picturesque  grounds.  The  manufacturers,  fired  with 
generous  emulation,  erected  spacious  tents  on  the  lawn,  and 
provided  a  magnificent  banquet  for  the  guests,  and  a  sub- 
stantial one  for  the  sailors  of  the  Agamennion  and  the 
artificers  who  had  been  employed  in  the  construction  of  the 
cable.  By  an  admirable  arrangement,  tlie  guests  were 
accommodated  at  a  vast  semi-circular  table,  which  ran  round 
the  whole  pavilion,  while  the  sailors  and  workmen  sat  at  a 
number  of  long  tables  arranged  at  riglit  angles  with  the 
chord,  so  that  the  general  effect  was  that  all  dined  togethei*, 
while  at  the  same  time  sufficient  distinction  was  preserved 
to  satisfy  the  most  fastidious.  Tlie  three  centre  tables  were 
occupied  by  theci-ew  of  the  Agamemnon,  a  fine,  active  body 
of  young  men,  who  paid  tlie  greatest  attention  to  the 
speeches,  and  drank  all  the  toasts  with  an  admirable  jninctu- 
ality.  at  least  so  long  as  their  tliree  pints  of  beer  per  man 
lasted  ;  but  we  regret  to  add  that,  what  with  the  heat  of  the 
day  and  the  enthusiasm  of  Jack  in  the  cause  of  science,  the 
mugs  were  all  empty  long  before  the  chairman's  list  of  toasts 


I 


;! 


120 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAIMI. 


had  been  gone  through.  Next  in  interest  to  the  sailors 
were  the  workmen  and  their  wives  and  babies,  all  being  per- 
mitted to  assist  at  the  great  occasion.  The  latter,  it  is  true, 
sometimes  squalled  at  an  affecting  peroration,  but  that  rather 
improved  the  effect  than  otherwise,  and  the  presence  of 
these  little  ones  only  m.arked  the  genuine  good  feeling  of  the 
employers,  who  had  thus  invited  not  only  their  workmen, 
but  their  workmen's  families  to  the  feast.  It  was  a  momen- 
tary return  to  the  old  patriarchal  times,  and  every  one  pres- 
ent seemed  delighted  witli  the  experiment." 

Speeches  were  nuule  by  Sir  Culling  Eardley,  by 
Mr.  Card  well,  of  the  House  of  Commons,  Mr.  Brook- 
ing, one  of  the  Directors,  by  Professor  Morse;  and 
others.  Mr.  Field  read  a  letter  from  President  Bu- 
chanan, saying  that  he  should  feel  honored  if  the  first 
message  should  be  one  from  Queen  Victoria  to  himself, 
and  that  he  "  would  endeavor  to  answer  it  in  a  spirit 
and  manner  becoming  a  great  occasion." 

Thus,  labor  and  feasting  being  ended,  the  Niagara 
and  the  Susquehanna  left  Liverpool  the  latter  part  of 
July  and  steamed  down  St.  George's  Channel  to 
Queenstown,  which  was  to  be  the  rendezvous  of  the 
telegraphic  squadron,  where  tliey  were  joined  by  the 
Agamemnon  and  the  Leopard,  which  was  to  be  her 
consort.  The  former,  as  she  entered  the  harbor,  came 
to  anchor  about  a  third  of  a  mile  from  the  Niagara. 
The  presence  of  the  two  ships  which  had  the  cable  on 
board,  gave  an  opportunity  which  the  electricians  had 
desired  to  test  its  integrity.     Accordingly  one  end  of 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1857. 


121 


each  cable  was  carried  to  the  opjxjsito  ship,  and  so 
joined  as  to  form  a  continuous  length  of  twenty-five 
hundred  miles,  both  ends  of  wliicli  wore  on  board  the 
Agamemnon.  One  end  was  then  connected  with  the 
ap|)arutus  forti'ansmittinf^  the  electric  current,  and  on  a 
sensitive  galvanometer  being  attached  to  the  other  end, 
the  whole  cable  was  tested  from  end  to  end,  and  found 
to  be  perfect.  These  expei'iments  were  contimied  for 
two  da\'s  with  the  same  result.  This  insj)ired  fresh 
hopes  for  the  success  of  the  expedition,  and  in  high 
S[)irits  they  bore  away  for  the  harbor  of  Yalentia. 

It  had  been  for  some  time  a  matter  of  discussion, 
where  they  should  begin  to  lay  the  cable,  whether 
from  the  coast  of  Ti'eland,  or  in  mid-ocean,  thi;  two 
ships  making  the  junetion  there,  and  droj)ping  it  to 
the  bottom  of  the  sea,  and  then  parting,  one  to  the 
east  and  the  other  to  the  west,  till  thev  landed  their 
ends  on  the  opposite  shores  of  the  Atlantic.  Tiiis  was 
the  pbin  adopted  the  following  year,  anil  which  finally 
proved  successful.  It  was  the  one  preferred  l)y  the 
engineers  now,  but  the  electi'icians  favored  the  other 
course,  and  their  counsel  prevailed.  It  was  therefore 
decided  to  submerge  the  whole  cable  in  a  continuous 
line  from  Yalentia  Bay  to  jVewfoundland.  The  Xi- 
agara  was  to  lav  tlie  first  half  from  Ireland  to  the 
middle  of  the  Atlantic;  the  end  would  then  be  joined 
to  the  other  half  on  board  the  Agamemnon,  which 
would   take   it    on    to    the    coast   of   ^^'ewfoumlland. 


I  i  I 


I  ! 


123        STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEOllAPII. 

During  the  whole  process  the  four  vessels  were  to 
remain  together  and  give  whatever  assistance  was  re- 
quired. While  it  was  being  laid  down,  messages  were 
to  ';e  sent  back  to  Valentia,  reporting  each  day's 
progress. 

As  might  be  supposed,  the  mustering  of  such  a  fleet 
of  ships,  and  the  busy  note  of  preparation  which  had 
been  heard  for  weeks,  produced  a  great  sensation  in 
this  remote  part  of  Ireland.  The  people  from  far  and 
near,  gathered  on  the  hills  and  looked  on  in  silent 
w^onder. 

To  add  to  the  dignity  of  the  occasion,  the  Lord 
Lieutenant  came  down  from  Dublin  to  witness  the 
departure  of  the  expedition.  No  one  could  have  been 
better  fitted  to  represent  his  own  country,  and  to  com- 
mand audience  from  ours.  The  Earl  of  Carlisle — bet- 
ter known  among  us  as  Lord  Morpeth — had  travelled 
in  the  United  States  a  few  years  before,  and  shown 
himself  one  of  the  most  intelligent  and  liberal  for- 
eigners that  have  visited  America.  No  representative 
of  England  could  on  that  day  have  stood  upon  the 
shores  of  Ireland,  and  stretched  out  his  hand  to  his 
kindred  be3'ond  the  sea  with  more  assurance  that  his 
greeting  would  be  warmly  responded  to.  And  never 
did  one  speak  more  aptly  Avords  of  wisdom  and  of 
peace.  "We  read  them  still  with  admiration  for  their 
beauty  and  their  eloquence,  and  with  an  interest  more 
tender  but  more  sad,  that  this  great  and  good  man — 


THE  EXPEDITION   OF   1857. 


123 


the  true  friend  of  his  own  country  cand  of  ours — has 
gone  to  his  grave.  To  quote  his  own  words  is  the 
best  tribute  to  his  memory,  and  will  do  more  than 
any  eulogy  to  keep  it  fresh  and  green  in  the  hearts  of 
Americans.  On  his  arrival  at  Valentia,  he  was  enter- 
tained by  the  Knight  of  Kerry  at  one  of  those  public 
breakfasts  so  much  in  fashion  in  England,  at  which  in 
response  to  a  toast  in  his  honor,  after  making  his  per- 
sonal acknowledgments,  he  said : 

"I  believe,  as  your  worthy  chairman  hafi  already  hinted, 
that  I  am  probably  the  first  Lieutenant  of  Ireland  who  ever 
appeared  upon  this  lovely  strand.  At  all  events,  no  Lord 
Lieutenant  could  have  come  amongst  you  on  an  occasion 
like  tlie  present.  Amidst  all  the  pride  and  the  stirring  liopes 
which  cluster  around  the  woi'k  of  this  week,  we  ought  still 
to  remember  that  we  must  sjjeak  with  the  modesty  of  those 
Avho  begin  and  not  of  those  who  close  an  experiment,  and  it 
behooves  us  to  remember  that  the  pathway  to  great  achieve- 
ments has  frequently  to  be  hewn  out  amidst  risks  and  dlHi- 
culties,  and  that  preliminary  faihu'e  is  even  the  law  and  con- 
dition of  the  ultimate  success.  Therefore,  whatever  disaj)- 
pointments  may  possibly  be  in  store,  I  must  yet  insinuate  to 
you  that  in  a  cause  like  this  it  would  be  criminal  to  feel 
discouragement.  In  tlie  very  design  and  endeavor  to  estab- 
lish the  Atlantic  Telegraph  there  is  almost  enough  of  glory. 
It  is  true  if  it  be  only  an  attempt  there  would  not  be  quite 
enough  of  profit.  I  hope  that  will  come,  too  ;  but  there  is 
enough  of  public  spirit,  of  love  for  science,  for  our  country, 
for  the  human  race,  almost  to  suffice  in  themselves.  How- 
ever, ui)ou  this  rocky  frontlet  of  Ireland,  at  all  events,  to- 


ft&l^i' 


194 


STOllY  OF  TIIK  ATIiANTIC  TKLKCJHAIMI. 


I         ! 


(lay  wn  will  prosumo  upon  success.  Wouro  about,  oilhor  by 
tills  sundown  or  by  to-morrow's  dawn,  to  establish  a  new 
material  link  between  tl.t^  Old  World  and  tlm  New.  Moral 
links  tiiere  lia\'(^  been — links  of  race,  links  of  cominerco, 
links  of  friendship,  links  of  literature,  link.s  of  glory  ;  but 
this,  our  new  link,  instead  of  superseding  and  sup2>lantin<,''  the 
old  ones,  is  to  give  a  life  and  an  intensity  which  tiiey  never 
had  before.  Highly  as  I  value  the  reputations  of  those  who 
liave  conceived,  iind  tliosi^  who  have  coiitrilxiled  lo  carry 
out  this  l)right  design — and  I  wish  that  so  many  of  tiiem  had 
not  l)een  unavoidably  prevented  from  being  amongst  us  at 
this  moment'''— highly  as  I  estimate  their  reputation,  yet  I 
do  not  compliment  tliein  with  the  idea  that  they  are  to  ell'aco 
or  dim  the  glory  of  that  Columljus,  who.  when  the  large 
vessels  in  tlu;  harbor  of  C(jrk  yesterday  weighed  their 
anclioi's.  did  so  on  that  very  day  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
live  y(^ars  ago  — it  would  have  been  called  in  Hebrew  writ  a 
year  of  yrars — and  set  sail  upoi'  iiis  glorious  enterprise  of 
discovery.  They,  I  s.-iy,  will  noc  dim  or  elFace  his  glory,  but 
they  are  now  givijig  the  last  finish  and  consumjuation  to  his 
W(jrk.  Hitherto  tli(^  iiihal)itaiits  of  the  two  worlds  have 
associated  jH-rhaps  in  the'  chilling  atmosphei-e  of  distance 
with  eacli  othei'— a  soi'l  of  bowing  distance  ;  but  now  we 
can  be  hand  to  hand,  grasp  to  grasj),  ])uls('  to  ])ulse.  The 
link,  which  is  now  to  connect  us,  ]il<e  the  insect  in  the  im- 
mortal couplet  of  our  ])()et  : 

Wliilo  pxijuisjicly  lino, 
Feels  at  ciicli  tlurml  ami  lives  along  the  line. 

And  we  may  feel,  gentlemen  of  Ireland,  of  England,  and  of 
America,  that  we  may  take  our  stand  here  upon  the  extreme 

*  Mr.  Field  w;is  (lefaiiiecl  l)y  illness  at  Vuleiitia,  aud  several  of  the 
6bi{)s  had  uot  arrived. 


TIIH   KXI'KDITION  OV  1857. 


125 


ro(.'ky  edge  of  our  Lclovod  Irt'lund;  we  uuij',  as  it  were, 
leave  in  our  rear  beliiud  us  the  wars,  tlie  strifes,  and  the 
bloodshed  of  llie  elder  Europe,  and  of  the  elder  Asia;  and 
ve  may  pledj^o  ourselves,  weak  as  our  a<,'eney  may  he,  im- 
j)erfect  as  our  powers  may  be,  inadequate  in  strict  diplo- 
matic form  as  our  credt'utials  may  he,  yet,  in  the  face  of  the 
unparalleled  circumstances,  of  the  place  and  the  hour,  in 
the  immediate  neighborhood  of  the  mighty  vessels  whose 
appearance  may  be  beautiful  upon  the  waters,  even  as  are 
the  feet  upon  the  mountains  of  those  who  i)reach  the  Gospel 
of  peace — as  an  homage  due  to  that  serene  science  which 
often  affords  higher  and  liolier  lessons  of  harmony  and  good 
will  than  the  wayward  passions  of  num  are  always  apt  to 
learji — in  the  face  and  in  the  strength  of  such  circumstances, 
let  us  pledge  ourselves  to  eternal  peace  between  the  Old 
World  and  the  New." 


AVhile  these  greetings  were  exchanged  on  shore, 
only  the  smaller  vessels  of  the  squadron  bad  arrived. 
But  in  a  few  liours  tlie  great  hulls  of  the  Niagara  and 
tlio  Agamemnon,  followed  by  tlie  Leopard  and  the 
Susquehanna,  Avere  seen  in  the  horizon,  and  soon  they 
all  cast  anchor  in  tlie  bay.  As  the  sun  went  down  in 
the  west,  shining  still  on  the  other  liemispiiere  which 
they  were  going  to  seek,  its  last  rays  fell  on  an  expedi- 
tion more  suggestive  and  hoi)eful  than  any  since  tiiat 
of  Columbus  from  the  shores  of  Sj)ain.  and  upon  navi- 
gators not  unworthy  to  be  his  followers. 

The  whole  squadron  was  now  assembled,  and  made 
gallant  ariniy.     There  were  present  in  the   little  har- 


h 

1 

1 

1 

1 

i 

iJ 

m. 

V) 


126 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


bor  of  Yalentia  seven  ships — the  stately  Kiagara, 
which  was  to  lay  the  half  of  the  cable  from  Ireland, 
and  her  consort,  the  Susquehanna,  riding  by  her  side  ; 
while  floating  the  flag  of  England,  Avere  the  Aga- 
memnon, which  was  appointed  to  lay  the  cable  on  the 
American  side,  and  her  consort,  the  Leopard.  Beside 
these  high-decked  ships  of  Avar,  the  steamer  Advice 
had  come  round  to  give,  not  merely  advice  but  lusty 
help  in  landing  the  cable  at  Valentia ;  and  the  little 
steamer  Willing  Mind,  with  a  zeal  worthy  of  her  name, 
was  flying  back  and  forth  between  shij)  and  shore, 
lending  a  hand  wherever  there  was  work  to  be  done  ; 
and  the  Cyclops,  under  the  experienced  command  of 
Captain  Dayman,  who  had  made  the  deep-sea  sound- 
ings across  the  Atlantic  only  the  month  before,  here 
joined  the  squadron  to  lead  the  way  across  tlie  deep. 
This  made  five  English  ships,  with  but  two  American  ; 
but  to  keep  u])  our  part,  there  were  two  more  steam- 
ers on  the  other  side  of  the  sea,  the  Arctic,  under 
Lieutenant  Berryman,  and  the  Company's  steamer 
Victoria,  to  watch  for  the  coming  of  the  fleet  off  the 
coast  of  Newfoundland,  and  help  in  landing  the  cable 
on  the  shores  of  tlie  New  World. 

It  was  now  Tuesday  evening,  the  fourth  of  August, 
too  late  to  undertake  the  landing  that  night,  but 
preparations  were  at  once  begun  for  it  the  next 
morning.  Said  the  correspondent  of  the  Liverpool 
Post: 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1857. 


137 


"  The  ships  were  visited  in  the  course  of  the  evening  liy 
the  Directors  and  otliers  interested  in  tlie  great  undertaking, 
and  arrangements  were  immediately  commenced  on  Ijoai'd 
the  Niagara  for  paying  out  the  shore  rope  for  conveyance  to 
tlie  mainland.  These  arrangements  were  fully  perfected  by 
Wednesday  morning;  but  for  some  hours  the  state  of  the 
Aveather  rendered  it  doubtful  whether  opei-ations  could  be 
safely  proceeded  with.  Toward  the  afternoon  the  bi-eeze 
calmed  down,  and  at  two  o'clock  it  was  decided  that  an 
effort  should  be  made  to  land  the  cable  at  once.  The  pro- 
cess of  uncoiling  into  the  small  boats  commenced  at  half- 
past  two,  and  the  scene  at  this  period  was  grand  and  exciting 
in  the  highest  degree. 

"  Valentia  Bay  was  studded  with  innumerable  small 
craft,  decked  with  the  gayest  bunting — small  boats  flitted 
hither  and  thither,  their  occupants  cheei'ing  enthusiastically 
as  the  work  successfully  progressed.  The  cable-boats  were 
managed  by  the  sailors  of  the  Niagara  and  Susquehanna, 
and  it  was  a  well-designed  compliment,  and  indicative  of 
the  future  fraternization  of  the  nations,  that  the  .shore  rope 
was  arranged  to  be  presented  at  this  side  the  Atlantic  to  the 
representative  of  the  Queen,  by  the  officers  and  men  of  the 
United  States  navy,  and  that  at  the  other  side  the  British 
ollicers  and  sailors  should  make  a  similar  presentation  to  the 
President  of  tlie  Great  Republic. 

"  From  the  main  land  tlie  operations  were  watched  with 
intense  interest.  For  several  hours  the  Lord  Lieutenant 
stood  on  tl'.e  beach,  surrounded  by  his  staff  and  the  directors 
of  the  railway  and  telegrapli  companies,  waiting  the  arrival 
of  the  cable,  and  when  at  length  the  American  .sailors 
jumped  through  the  surge  with  the  hawser  to  which  it  was 
attached,  his  Excellency  was  among  the  first  to  lay  hold  of 


Isr 


i- 


128 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


it  and  pull  it  lustily  to  the  sliore.  Indeed  every  one  present 
seemed  desirous  of  having  a  hand  in  the  great  work ;  and 
never  before  perhaps  were  there  so  many  willing  assistants, 
at  '  the  long  pull,  the  strong  pull,  and  the  pull  all  together.' 
"At  half- past  seven  o'clock  the  cable  was  hauled  on 
shore,  and  formal  presentation  was  made  of  it  to  the  Lord 
Lieutenant  by  Captain  Pennock,  of  the  Niagara;  his  Excel- 
lency expressing  a  hoiie  that  the  work  so  well  begun  would 
be  carried  to  a  satisfactory  completion." 

The  Avire  having  been  secured  to  a  house  on  the 
beach,  the  Reverend  Mr.  Day,  of  Kenmore,  advanced 
and  offered  the  following  prayer : 

"  O  Eternal  Lord  God,  wlio  alone  spreadest  out  the 
heavens,  and  rulest  the  raging  of  the  sea ;  who  hast  com- 
passed the  water  with  bounds,  till  day  and  night  come  to  an 
end;  and  whom  the  winds  and  the  sea  obey;  look  down  in 
mercy,  we  beseech  thee,  upon  us  thy  servants,  who  now 
approach  the  throne  of  grace ;  and  let  our  prayer  ascend  before 
thee  with  acceptance.  Thou  hast  commanded  and  encour- 
aged us,  in  all  our  ways,  to  acknowledge  thee,  and  to  com- 
mit our  works  to  thee ;  and  thou  hast  graciously  promised 
to  direct  our  paths,  and  to  prosper  our  handiwork.  We 
desire  now  to  look  up  to  thee;  and  believing  that  without 
thy  help  and  blessing,  nothing  can  prosper  or  succeed,  we 
humbly  commit  this  work,  and  all  who  are  engaged  in  it,  to 
thy  care  and  guidance.  Let  it  please  thee  to  grant  to  us  thy 
servants  wisdom  and  power,  to  complete  what  we  liave  been 
led  by  thy  Providence  to  undertake ;  that  being  begun  and 
carried  on  in  the  spirit  of  prayer,  and  in  dependence  upon 
thee,  it  may  tend  to  thy  glory :  and  to  the  good  of  all  nations, 
by  promoting  the  increase  of  unity,  peace,  and  concord. 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1857. 


129 


*'  Overrule,  we  pray  thee,  every  obstacle,  and  remove 
every  difficulty  which  would  prevent  us  from  succeeding  in 
this  important  undertaking.  Control  the  winds  and  the  sea 
by  thy  Almiglity  power,  and  grant  us  such  favorable 
weather  that  we  may  be  enabled  to  lay  the  Cable  safely  and 
etfectually.  And  may  thy  hand  of  power  and  mercy  be  so 
acknowledged  by  all,  that  tlie  language  of  every  heart  may 
be,  '  Not  unto  us,  O  Lord,  not  unto  us,  but  unto  thy  name 
give  glory,'  that  so  thy  name  may  be  hallowed  and  magni- 
fied in  us  and  by  us. 

"  Finally,  we  beseech  thee  to  implant  within  us  a  spirit  of 
humility  and  childlike  dependence  upon  thee ;  and  teach  us 
to  feel  as  well  as  to  say,  '  If  the  Lord  will,  we  shall  do  this 
or  that. ' 

"Hear  us,  O  Lord,  and  answer  us  in  these  our  petitions, 
according  to  thy  precious  promise,  for  Jesus  Christ's  sake. 
Amen." 

The  Lord  Lieutenant  then  spoke  once  more — words 
that  amid  such  a  scene  and  at  such  an  hour,  sank  into 
all  hearts : 

"My  American,  English,  and  Irish  friends,  I  feel  at  such 
a  moment  as  this  that  no  language  of  mine  can  be  becoming 
except  that  of  prayer  and  praise.  However,  it  is  allowable 
to  any  human  lips,  though  they  have  not  been  specially 
qualified  for  tlio  ofRce,  to  raise  the  ascri])tiou  of  '  Gloiy  to 
God  in  tlie  highest;  on  earth  poaco,  good -will  to  men.' 
That,  I  believe,  is  the  spirit  in  wliicli  tliis  groat  work  lias 
been  undertaken;  and  it  is  this  roJleotion  that  encoiimges 
me  to  feel  confident  hopes  in  its  linal  success.  I  believe 
that  the  great  work  now  so  ha])pily  begun  will  accom])lish 
many  great  and  noble  purposes  of  trade,  of  national  policy, 
9 


!  ; 


(It 


t 

■ 

! 

t 
I 

1 

! 

i 


180 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


and  of  empire.  But  there  is  only  one  view  in  which  I  will 
present  it  to  those  whom  I  have  the  pleasure  to  address. 
You  are  aware — you  must  know,  some  of  you,  from  your 
own  experience — that  many  of  your  dear  friends  and  near 
relatives  have  left  their  native  land  to  receive  hospitable 
shelter  in  America.  Well,  then,  I  do  not  expect  that  all  of 
you  can  understand  the  wondrous  mechanism  by  which  this 
great  undertaking  is  to  be  carried  on.  But  this,  I  think, 
you  all  of  you  understand.  If  you  wished  to  communicate 
some  piece  of  intelligence  straightway  to  your  relatives 
across  the  wide  world  of  waters — if  you  wished  to  tell  those 
whom  you  know  it  would  interest  in  their  heart  of  hearts, 
of  a  birth,  or  a  marriage,  or,  alas,  a  death,  among  you,  the 
little  cord,  which  we  have  now  hauled  up  to  the  shore,  will 
impart  that  tidings  quicker  than  the  flash  of  the  lightning. 
Let  us  indeed  hope,  let  us  pray  that  the  hopes  of  those  who 
have  set  on  foot  this  great  design,  may  be  rewarded  by  its 
entire  success;  and  let  us  liope,  further,  that  this  Atlantic 
Cable  will,  in  all  future  time,  serve  as  an  emblem  of  that 
strong  coi-d  of  love  which  I  trust  will  always  unite  the  Brit- 
ish islands  to  the  great  continent  of  America.  And  you  will 
join  me  in  my  fervent  wish  that  the  Giver  of  all  good,  who 
has  enabled  some  of  his  servants  to  discern  so  much  of  the 
Avorking  of  the  mighty  laws  by  Avhich  he  fills  the  univei-se, 
will  further  so  bless  this  wonderful  work,  as  to  make  it 
even  more  to  serve  the  high  purpose  of  the  good  of  man, 
and  tend  to  his  great  glory.  And  now,  all  my  friends,  as 
there  can  be  no  project  or  undertaking  which  ought  not  to 
receive  the  approbation  and  applause  of  the  people,  Avill  you 
join  with  me  in  giving  three  hearty  cheers  for  it  ?  [Loud 
cheering.]  Three  cheers  are  not  enough  for  me — they  are 
what  we  give  on  couiiuou  occasions — and  as  it  is  for  the 


■( 


THE  EXPEDITION  OP  1857. 


131 


success  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Cable,  I  must  have  at  least 
one  dozen  cheers.     [Loud  and  protracted  cheering.]  " 

Mr.  Brooking,  the  Chairman  of  the  Executive  Com- 
mittee  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company,  then 
expressed  the  thanks  which  all  felt  to  the  Lord  Lieu- 
tenant for  his  presence  on  that  occasion. 

Then  there  were  loud  clUs  for  Mr.  Field.  He 
could  only  answer: 

"I  have  no  words  to  express  the  feelings  which  fill  my 
L-.art  to-night — it  beats  with  lovt  and  affection  for  every 
man,  woman  and  child  who  hears  me.  I  may  say,  however, 
that,  if  ever  at  the  other  side  of  the  waters  now  before  us, 
any  one  of  you  shall  present  himself  at  my  door  and  say 
that  he  took  hand  or  part,  even  by  an  approving  smile,  in 
our  work  here  to-day,  he  shall  have  a  true  American  wel- 
come. I  cannot  bind  myself  to  more,  and  shall  merely  say  : 
'What  God  has  joined  together,  let  not  man  put  asunder.'  " 

Thus  closed  this  most  interesting  scene.  The  Lord 
Lieutenant  was  obliged  to  return  at  once  to  the  cap- 
ital. He  therefore  left,  and  posted  that  night  to  Kil- 
larney,  and  the  next  day  returned  by  special  train  to 
Dublin,  leaving  the  ships  to  complete  the  work  so 
happily  begun. 

The  landing  of  the  cable  took  place  on  "Wednesday, 
the  fifth  of  August,  near  the  hour  of  sunset.  As  it 
was  too  late  to  proceed  that  evening,  the  ships  remained 
at  anchor  till  the  morning.  They  got  under  weigh  at 
an  early  hour,  but  were  soon  checked  by  an  accident 


ii'i 


(I 


11 


.  STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

which  detained  them  another  day.  Before  they  had 
gone  five  miles,  the  heavy  shore  end  of  the  cable 
caught  in  the  machinery  and  parted.  The  Niagara 
put  back,  and  the  cable  was  "  underrun "  the  whole 
distance.  At  length  tlie  end  was  lifted  out  of  the 
water  and  spliced  to  the  gigantic  coil,  and  as  it  dropped 
safely  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea,  the  mighty  ship  began 
to  stir.  At  first  she  moved  very  slowly,  not  more  than 
two  miles  an  hour,  to  avoid  the  danger  of  accident ; 
but  the  feeling  that  they  were  at  last  away  was  itself 
a  relief.  The  ships  were  all  in  sight,  and  so  near 
that  they  could  hear  each  other's  bells.  The  Niagara, 
as  if  knowing  that  she  was  bound  for  the  land  out  of 
whose  forests  she  came,  bowed  her  head  to  the  waves, 
as  her  prow  was  turned  toward  her  native  shores. 

Slowly  passed  the  hours  of  that  day.  But  all  went 
well,  and  the  ships  were  moving  out  into  the  broad 
Atlantic.  At  length  the  sun  went  down  in  the  west, 
and  stars  came  out  on  the  face  of  the  deep.  But  no 
man  slept.  A  thousand  eyes  were  watching  a  great 
experiment  as  those  who  have  a  personal  interest  in 
tlie  issue.  All  through  that  night,  and  through  the 
anxious  days  and  nights  that  followed,  there  was  a 
feeling  in  every  soul  on  board,  us  if  some  dear 
friend  were  at  the  turning-point  of  life  or  death,  and 
they  were  watching  beside  him.  Tliere  was  a  strange, 
unnatural  silence  in  the  ship.  Men  paced  the  deck 
with  soft  and  muffled  tread,  speaking  only  in  whis- 


THE  EXPEDITION  OP  1857. 


133 


pers,  as  if  a  loud  voice  or  a  heavy  footfall  might  snap 
the  vital  cord.  So  much  had  they  grown  to  feel  for 
the  enterjirise,  that  the  cable  seemed  to  them  like  a 
human  creature,  on  whose  fate  they  hung,  as  if  it 
were  to  decide  their  own  destiny. 

There  are  some  who  will  never  forget  that  first 
night  at  sea.  Perliaps  the  reaction  from  the  excite- 
ment on  shore  made  the  impression  the  deeper.  There 
are  moments  in  life  when  ever}'^  thing  comes  back 
upon  us.  What  memories  came  up  in  those  long  night 
hours  !  How  many  on  board  that  ship,  as  they  stood 
on  the  deck  and  Avatched  that  mysterious  cord  disap- 
pearing in  the  darkness,  tliought  of  homes  beyond  the 
sea,  of  absent  ones,  of  the  distant  and  the  dead ! 

But  no  musings  turn  them  from  the  work  in  hand. 
There  are  vigilant  eyes  on  deck.  Mr.  Bright,  the 
engineer  of  the  Company,  is  there,  and  Mr.  Everett, 
Mr,  De  Sauty,  the  electrician,  and  Professor  Morse. 
The  paying-out  machinery  does  its  work,  and  though  it 
makes  a  constant  rumble  in  tlie  ship,  that  dull,  heavy 
sound  is  music  to  their  ears,  as  it  tells  them  that  all  is 
well.  If  one  should  drop  to  sleep,  and  Avake  up  at 
night,  he  has  only  to  hear  the  sound  of  "  the  old  coflfee- 
mill,"  and  his  fears  are  relieved,  and  he  goes  to  sleep 


agam. 


Saturday  was  a  day  of  beautiful  weather.  The 
ships  were  getting  farther  away  from  land,  and  began 
to  steam  ahead  at  the  rate  of  four  and  five  miles  an 


184 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


ill' 


I 


•  if 


{; 


i  : 


hour.  The  cable  w  as  paid  out  at  a  speed  a  httle  faster 
than  that  of  the  ship,  to  allow  for  any  inequalities 
of  surface  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  "While  it  was 
thus  going  overboard,  communication  was  kept  up 
constantly  with  the  land.  Every  moment  the  current 
was  passing  between  ship  and  shore.  The  communi- 
cation was  as  perfect  as  between  Liverpool  and  Lon- 
don, or  Boston  and  New  York.  Not  only  did  the 
electricians  telegraph  back  to  Yalentia  the  progress 
they  were  making,  but  the  officers  on  board  sent  mes- 
sages to  their  friends  in  America,  to  go  out  by  the 
steamers  from  Liverpool.  The  heavens  seemed  to 
smile  on  them  that  day.  The  coils  came  up  from 
below  the  deck  Avithout  a  kink,  and  unwinding  them- 
selves easily,  passed  over  the  stern  into  the  sea.  Once 
or  twice  an  alarm  was  created  by  the  cable  being 
thrown  off  the  wheels.  This  was  owing  to  the  sheaves 
not  being  wide  enough  and  deep  enough,  and  being 
filled  with  tar,  which  hardened  in  the  air.  This  was 
a  great  defect  of  the  machinery  which  was  remedied 
in  the  later  expeditions.  Still  it  worked  well,  and  so 
long  as  those  terrible  brakes  kept  off  their  iron  gripe, 
it  might  work  through  to  the  end. 

All  day  Sunday  the  same  favoring  fortune  con- 
tinued ;  and  when  the  officers,  who  could  be  spared 
from  the  deck,  met  in  the  cabin,  and  Captain  Hudson 
read  the  service,  it  was  with  subdued  voices  and  grate- 
ful hearts  they  responded  to  the  prayers  to  Him  who 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1857. 


135 


spreadeth  out  tlie  heavens,  and  ruleth  the  raging  of 
the  sea. 

On  Monday  they  were  over  two  hundred  miles  at 
sea.  They  had  got  far  beyond  the  shallow  Avaters  off 
the  coast.  They  had  passed  over  the  submarine  moun- 
tain which  figures  on  the  charts  of  Dayman  and  Berry- 
man,  and  where  Mr.  Bright's  log  gives  a  descent  from 
five  hundred  and  fifty  to  seventeen  hundred  and  fifty 
fathoms  within  eight  miles !  Then  they  came  to  the 
deeper  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  where  the  cable  sank  to 
the  awful  depth  of  two  thousand  fathoms.  Still  the 
iron  cord  buried  itself  in  tiie  waves,  and  every  instant 
the  flash  of  light  in  the  darkened  telegraph  room  told 
of  the  passage  of  the  electric  current. 

But  Mondav  evening,  about  nine  o'clock,  occurred  a 
mysterious  interruption,  which  staggered  all  on  board. 
Suddenly  the  electrical  continuity  was  lost.  The  cable 
was  not  broken,  but  it  ceased  to  work.  Here  was  a 
mystery.  De  Sauty  trieil  it,  and  Professor  Morse  tried 
it.  But  neither  could  make  it  work.  It  seemed  that 
all  was  over.  The  electricians  gave  it  up,  and  the  en- 
gineers were  preparing  to  cut  the  cable,  and  to  endeav- 
or to  wind  it  in,  when  suddenly  the  electriciUj  came 
hack  again.  This  made  the  mystery  greater  than  ever. 
It  had  been  interrupted  for  two  hours  and  a  half. 
This  was  a  phenomenon  which  has  never  been  ex- 
plained. Professor  Morse  Avas  of  opinion  that  the 
cable,  in  getting  off  the  wheels,  had  been  strained  so 


;;t  ;ll 


. 


M 


i 


13G        STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

as  to  open  the  gutta-percha,  and  thus  destroy  the  insu- 
lation. If  this  be  the  true  explanation,  it  would  seem 
that  on  reaching  the  bottom  the  seam  had  closed,  and 
thus  the  continuity  had  been  restored.  But  it  was  cer- 
tainly an  untoward  incident,  which  "  cast  ominous 
conjecture  on  the  whole  success,"  as  it  seemed  to  indi- 
cate that  there  were  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  causes 
which  were  wholly  unknown  and  against  which  it  was 
impossible  to  provide. 

The  return  of  the  current  was  like  life  from  the 
dead.     Says  Mullaly : 

"  The  glad  news  was  soon  circulated  throughout  the  ship, 
and  all  felt  as  if  they  had  a  new  life.  A  rough,  weather- 
beaten  old  sailor,  who  had  assisted  in  coiling  many  a  long 
mile  of  it  on  board  the  Niagara,  and  who  was  among  the 
first  to  run  to  the  telegraph  office  to  have  the  news  con- 
firmed, said  he  would  have  given  fifty  dollars  out  of  his  pay 
to  have  saved  that  cable.  '  I  have  watched  nearly  every 
mile  of  it,'  he  added,  '  as  it  came  over  the  side,  and  I  would 
have  given  fifty  dollars,  poor  as  I  am,  to  have  saved  it, 
although  I  don't  expect  to  make  any  tiling  by  it  when  it  is 
laid  down.'  In  his  own  simple  way  he  expressed  the  feel- 
ings of  every  one  on  board,  for  all  are  as  much  interested  in 
the  success  of  the  enterprise  as  the  largest  shareholder  in  the 
Company.  They  talked  of  the  cable  as  they  would  of  a  pet 
child,  and  never  was  child  treated  with  deeper  solicitude 
than  that  with  which  the  cable  is  watched  by  them.  You 
could  see  the  tears  standing  in  the  eyes  of  some  as  they  al- 
most cried  for  joy,  and  told  their  messmates  that  it  was  all 
right." 


THE  EXPEDITION   OP  1857. 


137 


It  was  indeed  a  great  relief ;  and  though  still  anxious, 
after  watching  till  past  midnight,  a  few  crept  to  their 
couches,  to  snatch  an  hour  or  two  of  broken  sleep. 
But  before  the  morning  broke,  the  hopes  thus  revived 
were  again  and  finally  destroyed. 

The  cable  was  running  out  freely  at  the  rate  of  six 
miles  an  hour,  while  the  ship  was  advancing  but  about 
four.  This  Avas  supposed  to  be  owing  to  a  powerful 
under-current.  To  check  this  waste,  the  engineer  ap- 
]ilied  the  brakes  firmly,  which  at  once  stopped  the 
machine.  The  effect  was  to  bring  a  heavy  strain  on 
the  cable  that  was  in  the  water.  The  stern  of  the  ship 
was  down  in  the  trough  of  the  sea,  and  as  it  rose  up- 
ward on  the  swell,  the  tension  was  too  great,  and  the 
cable  parted. 

Instantly  ran  through  the  ship  a  cry  of  grief  and 
dismay.  She  was  stopped  in  her  onward  patli,  and  in 
a  few  minutes  all  gathered  on  deck  with  feelings 
which  may  be  imagined.  One  who  was  present  wrote : 
''  The  unbidden  tear  started  to  many  a  manly  eye. 
The  interest  taken  in  the  enterprise  by  all,  every  one, 
officers  and  men,  exceeded  any  thing  I  ever  saw,  and 
there  is  no  wonder  that  there  should  have  been  so 
much  emotion  at  our  failure.''  Captain  Hudson  says  : 
"  It  made  all  hands  of  us  through  the  day  like  a  house- 
hold or  family  which  had  lost  their  dearest  friend,  for 
officers  and  men  had  been  deeply  interested  in  the  suc- 
cess of  the  enterprise." 


I  i 


1:J 

1 


138 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELKORAPFI. 


There  was  nothing  left  but  to  return  to  England. 
The  position  is  very  clearly  stated  by  Mr.  Field  in  a 
letter  to  one  of  his  family,  which  shows  how  his  own 
courage  survived  the  great  disaster : — 

"  H.  M.  Steamer  Leopard,  Thursday,  | 
August  13,  1857.  ) 


•'The  successful  laying  down  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph 
Cable  is  put  off  for  a  short  time,  but  its  final  triumph  has 
been  fully  proved,  by  the  experience  that  we  have  had  since 
we  left  Valentia.  My  confidence  was  never  so  strong  as  at 
the  present  time,  and  I  feel  sure,  that  with  God's  blessing, 
we  shall  connect  Europe  and  America  with  the  electric 
cord. 

"After  having  successfully  laid — and  part  of  the  time 
while  a  heavy  sea  was  running — three  hundred  and  thirty- 
flve  miles  of  the  cable,  and  over  one  hundred  miles  of  it  in 
water  more  than  two  miles  in  depth,  the  brakes  were  applied 
more  firmly,  by  order  of  Mr.  Bright,  the  engineer,  to  pre- 
vent the  cable  from  going  out  so  fast,  and  it  parted. 

"I  retired  to  my  state-room  at  a  little  after  midnight 
Monday,  all  going  on  well,  and  at  a  quarter  before  four 
o'clock  on  Tuesday  morning,  tlie  eleventh  instant,  I  was 
awoke  from  my  sleep  by  the  cry  of  '  Stop  her,  back  her  ! ' 
and  in  a  moment  Mr.  Bright  was  in  my  room,  with  the  sad 
intelligence  that  the  cable  was  bi-oken.  In  as  short  a  time 
as  possible  I  was  dressed,  and  on  deck ;  and  Captain  Hudson 
at  once  signaled  the  other  steamers  that  the  cable  had  parted, 
and  in  a  few  moments  Captain  Wainwright,  of  the  Leopard, 
and  Captain  Sands,  of  the  Susquehanna,  were  on  board  of 
the  Niagara. 


THE  EXPEDITION  OK  1857. 


180 


"I  requested  Captaiti  Waiiiwriplit,  the  commander  of  the 
English  Telofjraph  Fleet,  to  order  the  Affaniejimon  to  remain 
witli  tlio  Nia(fara  and  Susciuehaima,  in  this  deep  ))art  of  tlie 
Atlantic  for  a  few  days,  to  try  certain  experiineiits  which 
will  he  of  j^reat  value  to  us,  and  then  sail  with  them  hack  to 
England,  and  all  wait  at  Plymouth  until  furtlu'r  orders.  I 
furtlier  requested  Cajitain  Wainwright  to  order  the  Cyclops 
to  sound  here  whei-e  the  cahle  parted,  and  then  steam  hack 
to  Valentin,  with  letters  from  me  to  Dr.  Whitehou.se,  and 
Mr.  Saward,  the  secretary  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Com- 
pany ;  and  that  he  should  take  me  in  the  Leopard  as  soon  as 
possihle  to  Portsmouth. 

"  All  of  my  requests  were  cheerfully  complied  with,  and 
in  a  few  hours  tlie  Cyclops  luul  sounded,  and  found  the  hot- 
tom  at  two  thousand  fathoms,  and  was  on  her  way  hack  to 
Valentia  with  letters  from  me  ;  the  Niagara  and  the  Aga- 
memnon were  connected  together  hj-  the  cable,  and  engaged 
in  trying  experiments  ;  the  Susquehanna  in  attendance,  and 

the  Leopard,  with  your  affectionate on  board,  on  her 

way  hack  to  England. 

"  In  my  letter  to  Dr.  Whitehouse  I  requested  him  to  tele- 
graph to  London,  and  have  a  special  meeting  of  the  Directoi-s 
called  for  twelve  o'clock  on  Saturday,  to  decide  wliether  we 
should  have  more  cable  made  at  once,  and  try  again  this 
season,  or  wait  until  next  year. 

"I  .shall  close  tliis  letter  on  board,  so  as  to  have  it  ready 
to  mail  the  moment  we  arrive  at  Portsmouth,  as  I  wish  to 
leave  by  the  very  next  train  for  London,  so  as  to  ])e  tliere  in 
ttii  to  meet  the  Directors  Saturday  noon,  and  read  them  my 
report,  which  I  am  busy  making  up. 

"^>o  not  think  that  I  feel  discouraged,  or  am  in  low 
spirits,  for  I  am  not ;  and  I  think  I  can  .see  how  this  accident 


I!  \  I 


140        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

will  be  of  great  advantage  to  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Com- 
pany. 

"All  the  officer's  and  men  on  board  of  the  Telegraph 
Fleet,  seem  to  take  the  greatest  interest  in  our  enterprise, 
and  are  very  desirous  to  go  out  in  the  ships  tlie  next  time. 

"  Since  my  arrival,  I  have  received  the  greatest  kindness 
and  attention  from  all  whom  I  have  met,  from  the  Lord 
Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  down  to  the  cabin-boys  and  sailors. 
The  inclosed  letter  from  the  Knight  of  Kerry,  I  received 
with  a  basket  of  hothouse  fruit,  just  as  we  were  getting 
ready  to  leave  Valentia  harbor. 

Your 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 


inn 


I    ;! 


The  day  that  this  was  written,  Mr.  Field  landed  at 
Portsmouth,  and  at  once  hastened  to  London  to  meet 
the  Directors.  At  first  it  Avas  a  question  if  they  should 
renew  the  expedition  this  year.  But  their  brief  experi- 
ence had  shown  tlie  need  of  more  am})le  preparations 
for  their  next  attempt.  They  required  six  hundred 
miles  more  of  cable  to  make  up  for  over  three  hundred 
lost  in  the  sea,  and  to  provide  a  surplus  so  as  to  run  no 
risk  of  falling-  short  from  other  accidents;  and  most 
of  all  they  needed  better  machinery  to  pay  out  the 
cable  into  tlie  ocean.  These  preparations  required 
time,  and  before  they  could  be  made,  it  would  be  late 
in  the  autumn.  Hence  the}'  reluctantly  decided  to 
defer  the  expedition  till  another  year.  The  Niagara 
and  the  Agamemnon  therefore  discharged  their  cable 
at  Plymouth,  whence  the  Niagara  returned  home  ;  and 


: 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1857.  141 

Mr.  Field,  after  remaining  a  few  weeks  in  London  to 
complete  the  preparations  for  the  next  year,  sailed  for 
America. 

He  returned  to  find  that  a  commercial  hurricane  had 
swept  over  the  country,  in  which  a  thousand  stately 
fortunes  had  gone  down,  and  in  which  the  wealth  he 
had  accumulated  by  years  of  toil  had  nearly  suffered 
shipwreck.  Such  were  the  tidings  that  met  him  on 
landing.  It  had  been  a  year  of  disappointments  in 
England  and  America— of  disasters  on  land  and  sea— 
and  all  his  high  hopes  were 

In  the  deep  bosom  of  the  ocean  buried. 


IV^)"»«WW'WIWKiaa\:iacaBaxv.\' 


CHAPTER  IX. 


THE   FIRST   EXPEDITION    OF   1858. 


(' 1! 


! 


The  expedition  of  1857  was  little  more  than  an 
experiment  on  a  grand  scale.  As  such  it  had  its  use ; 
but  its  abrupt  ending  within  three  hundred  miles  of 
the  Irish  coast  was  a  severe  shock  to  public  confidence. 
Up  to  that  time  the  enterprise  had  been  accepted  by 
the  people  of  England  and  of  America,  almost  without 
considering  its  magnitude  and  difficulty.  They  had 
taken  it  for  granted  as  a  thing  which  must  some  day 
be  accomplished  by  human  skill  and  perseverance. 
But  now  it  had  been  ti'ied  and  failed.  This  first  expe- 
dition opened  their  eyes  to  the  vastness  of  the  under- 
taking, and  led  many  to  doubt  who  did  not  doubt 
before.  Some  even  began  to  look  upon  it  as  a  roman- 
tic adventure  of  the  sea,  rather  than  a  serious  undertak- 
ing. This  decline  of  popular  faith  was  felt  as  soon  as 
there  was  a  call  for  more  money.  Men  reasoned  that 
if  the  former  attempt  was  but  an  experiment,  it  Avas 
I'ather  a  costly  one.  The  loss  of  three  hundred  and 
thirty-five  miles  of  cable,  with  the  postponement  of  the 
expedition  to  another  year,  was  equivalent  to  a  loss  of 
a  hundred  thousand  pounds.     To  make  this  good,  the 


THE  FIRST  EXPEDITION  OF  1858. 


143 


Directors  bad  to  enlarge  the  capital  of  the  Company. 
This  new  capital  was  not  so  readily  obtained.  Those 
who  had  subscribed  before,  thought  they  had  lost 
enough  ;  and  the  public  stood  aloof  till  they  could  see 
the  result  of  the  next  experiment.  The  projectors 
found  that  it  was  easy  to  go  with  the  current  of  popu- 
lar enthusiasm,  but  very  hard  to  stem  a  growing  poj> 
ular  distrust.  They  found  how  great  an  element  of 
success  in  all  public  enterprises  is  public  confidence. 

But  against  this  very  revulsion  of  feeling  they  had 
been  already  warned.  The  Earl  of  Carlisle  the  year 
before  had  cautioned  them  against  being  too  sanguine 
of  immediate  results,  and  reminded  them  that  "  prelim- 
inary failure  was  even  the  law  and  condition  of  ulti- 
mate success."  There  were  many  who  now  remem- 
bered his  words,  and  on  whom  the  lesson  was  not  lost. 

But  whatever  the  depression  at  tlie  failure  of  the 
first  attempt  to  lay  a  telegraph  across  the  ocean,  and 
at  the  thick-coming  disasters  on  land  and  sea,  it  did 
not  interfere  with  renewed  and  vigorous  efforts  to  pre- 
pare for  a  second  expedition.  The  Directoi's  gave  or- 
ders for  the  manufacture  of  seven  hundred  miles  of 
new  cable,  to  make  up  for  the  loss  of  the  previous 
year,  and  to  provide  a  surplus  against  all  contingen- 
cies. And  the  Government  promised  again  its  power- 
ful aid. 

In  America,  Mr.  Field  went  to  Washington  to  ask 
a  second  time  the  use  of  the  ships,  which  had  already 


144        STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


'i    !f; 


represented  the  country  so  well.  He  made  also  a  spe- 
cial request  for  the  services  of  Mr.  William  E.  Everett. 
This  gentleman  had  been  the  chief-engineer  of  the 
Niagara  the  year  before.  He  had  watched  closely 
the  paying-out  machine,  as  it  was  put  together  on  the 
deck,  and  as  it  worked  on  the  voyage,  and  with  the 
eye  of  a  practised  mechanic,  he  saw  that  it  required 
great  alterations.  It  was  too  cumbrous,  had  too  many 
wheels,  and  especially  its  brakes  shut  down  with  a  gripe 
that  would  snap  the  strongest  chain  cable.*  Mr.  Field 
saw  that  this  was  the  man  to  remedy  the  defects  of  the 
old  machine,  and  to  make  one  that  would  work  more 
smoothly.  He  therefore  applied  especially  for  his  ser- 
vices. To  the  credit  of  the  administration,  it  granted 
both  requests  in  the  most  handsome  manner.  "  There," 
said  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  handing  Mr.  Field  the 
official  letter,  "  I  have  given  you  all  you  asked." 

After  such  an  answer  he  did  not  wait  long.  The 
letter  is  dated  the  thirtieth  of  December,  and  in  just 
one  week,  on  the  sixth  of  January,  he  sailed  in  the 
Persia  for  England  with  Mr.  Everett.     Scarcelv  had 

*  It  eliouid  be  said,  however,  in  justice  to  Mr.  Briglit,  tliat  most  of 
these  defects  he  had  himself  perceived  on  seeing  it  in  operation.  On 
his  return  from  the  expedition  of  1857,  he  sent  in  a  report,  pointing  out 
the  defects  of  the  machlner3',  and  how  to  remedy  them.  These  sug- 
gestions were  approved  l)y  the  Scientific  Committee,  and  carried  out  by 
Mr.  Everett.  The  recognition  of  this  fact,  while  It  takes  i  N.liing  from 
the  practical  skill  shown  by  the  American  engineer,  is  bui  just  to  his 
predecessor,  who,  as  the  pioneer  in  this  work,  iniirht  easily  fall  into 
mistakes,  which  it  needed  only  time  and  experience  to  correct. 


THE  FIRST  EXPEDITION  OF  1858. 


145 


he  arrived  in  London  before  he  Avas  made  the  General 
Manager  of  the  Company,  with  control  of  the  entire 
staif,  including  electricians  and  engineers.  The  follow- 
ing extract  from  the  minutes  of  the  Board  of  Directors, 
dated  January  27,  1858,  explains  the  new  position  to 
which  he  Avas  invited: 

"The  Directors  having  for  several  months  felt  that  it 
would  greatly  advance  the  interests  of  this  enterprise,  if  Mr. 
Cyrus  W.  Field,  of  New  York,  could  be  induced  to  come 
over  to  England,  for  tlie  purpose  of  undertaking  the  general 
management  and  supervision  of  all  the  various  arrangements 
that  would  be  required  to  be  carried  out  before  the  sailing  of 
the  next  expedition ;  application  was  made  to  Mr.  Field, 
with  the  view  of  securing  his  consent  to  tlie  proposal,  and 
he  arrived  in  this  country  on  the  sixteenth  instant,  when  it 
was  ascertained  that  he  would  be  willing,  if  unanimously 
desired  by  tlie  Directors,  to  act  in  behalf  of  the  Company  as 
proposed;  and  Mr.  Field  having  retired,  it  was  unanimously 
resolved  to  tender  him,  in  respect  to  such  services,  the  sum 
of  £1000  over  and  above  his  travelling  and  other  exjjenses, 
as  remuneration." 

This  resolution  was  at  once  conununicated  to  Mr. 
Field,  who  replied  that  he  would  undertake  the  duties 
of  General  Manager,  but  declined  the  offer  of  £1000, 
preferring  to  give  his  services  to  the  Company  without 
compensation.  "Whereupon  the  Directors  immediately 
passed  another  resolution : 

"That  Mr.  Field's  kind  and  generous  offer  be  accepted 
by  this  Board  ;  and  that  their  best  thanks  are  hereby  ten- 
10 


146 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


dered    to   him   for  his   devotion   to   the   interests    of  the 
undertaking. " 

The  following,  passed  a  few  weeks  later,  March  26, 
■was  designed  to  emphasize  the  authority  given  over  all 
the  employes  of  the  Company  : 

^^  Resolved,  That  Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field,  General  Manager 
of  the  Company,  is  hereby  authorized  and  empowered  to 
give  such  directions  and  orders  to  tlie  officers  composing  the 
staff  of  the  Company,  as  he  may  from  time  to  time  deem 
necessary  and  expedient  with  regard  to  all  matters  connected 
with  the  business  proceedings  of  the  Company,  subject  to 
the  control  of  the  Directoi-s. 

^^  Resolved,  That  the  staff  of  the  Company  be  notified 
hereof,  and  required  to  observe  and  follow  such  directions 
as  may  be  issued  by  the  General  Manager." 

As  Mr.  Field  Avas  thus  invested  with  the  entire 
charge  of  the  preparations  for  the  next  expedition,  he 
was  made  responsible  for  it,  and  felt  it  due  alike  to 
himself  and  to  the  Company  to  omit  no  means  to 
insure  success.  It  Avas  therefore  his  duty  to  examine 
into  every  detail.  The  manufacture  of  the  new  cable 
was  already  under  way,  and  there  was  no  opportunity 
to  make  any  change  in  its  construction,  even  if  any  had 
been  desired.  But  there  was  another  matter  which 
was  quite  as  important  to  success — the  construction  of 
the  paying-out  machines.  T])is  had  been  the  great 
defect  of  the  previous  year,  and,  Avhile  it  continued, 
would  render  success  almost  impossible.     Ko  matter 


THE  FIRST  EXPEDITION  OF   1858. 


147 


how  many  hundreds  or  thousands  of  miles  of  cable 
might  be  made,  if  the  machinery  was  not  fitted  to  pay 
it  out  into  the  sea,  it  would  be  constantly  broken.  To 
remedy  these  defects  was  an  object  of  anxious  solici- 
tude, and  to  this  the  new  manager  gave  his  first  atten- 
tion. Hardly  was  he  in  London  before  Mr.  Everett 
was  installed  at  the  large  machine  works  of  Easton  and 
Amos,  in  Southwark,  where,  surrounded  b}^  plans  and 
models,  he  devoted  himself  for  three  months  to  study- 
ing out  a  better  invention  for  this  most  important 
work.  At  the  end  of  that  time  he  had  a  model  com- 
plete, and  invited  a  number  of  the  most  eminent  engi- 
neers of  London  to  Avitness  its  operation.  Among 
these  were  Mr.  Brunei,  and  Messrs.  Lloyd,  Penn,  and 
Field,  who  had  given  the  enterprise  the  benefit  of  their 
counsel  for  months,  refusing  all  compensation;  Mr. 
Charles  T.  Bright,  the  engineer  of  the  Company,  and 
his  two  assistants,  Mr.  Canning  and  Mr.  Clifford,  and 
Mr.  Follansbee,  the  chief-engineer  of  the  Niagara,  in 
the  place  Mr.  Everett  had  occupied  the  year  before. 
The  machine  was  set  in  motion,  and  all  saw  its  opera- 
tion, while  Mr.  Everett  explained  its  parts,  and  the 
difficulties  which  he  had  tried  to  overcome.  It  Avas 
obvious  at  a  glance  that  it  Avas  a  great  improA'ement 
on  that  of  the  former  year.  It  Avas  much  smaller  and 
lighter.  It  Avould  take  up  only  about  one-third  of  the 
room  on  the  deck,  and  had  onlv  one-fourth  the  Aveio^ht 
of  the  old  machine.     Its  construction  Avas  much  more 


!l 


148        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


;;  ! 


simple.  Instead  of  four  heavy  wheels,  it  had  but  two, 
and  these  were  made  to  revolve  with  ease,  and  Avithout 
danger  of  sudden  check,  by  the  application  of  what 
were  known  as  self-releasing  brakes.  These  were  the 
invention  of  Mr.  Appold,  of  London,  a  gentleman  of 
fortune,  but  Avith  a  strong  taste  for  mechanics,  Avhich 
led  him  to  spend  his  time  and  Avealtii  in  exercising  his 
mechanical  ingenuity.  These  brakes  Avere  so  adjusted 
as  to  bear  only  a  certain  strain,  Avhen  they  released 
themselves.  This  ingenious  contrivance  Avas  applied 
by  Mr.  Everett  to  the  paying-out  machinery.  The 
strength  of  the  cable  Avas  such  that  it  Avould  not 
break  except  under  a  tension  of  a  little  over  three 
tons.  The  machinery  was  so  adjusted  that  not  more 
than  half  that  strain  could  possibly  come  upon  the 
cable,  when  the  brakes  Avould  relax  their  grasp,  the 
Avheels  revolve  easily,  and  the  cable  run  out  into  the  sea 
Avithout  a  jar.  The  paying-out  machine,  therefore,  ^ye 
are  far  from  claiming  as  Avholh^  an  American  invention. 
This  part  of  the  mechanism  was  Englisli.  Tlie  merit 
of  Mr.  Everett  lay  in  the  skill  Avith  Avhich  he  adapted 
it  to  the  laying  of  tlie  Atlantic  cable,  and  in  his 
improvements  of  otlier  parts  of  the  machinery.  The 
Avhole  construction,  as  it  afterwards  stood  upon  the 
decks  of  the  Niagara  and  the  Agamemnon,  was  the 
product  of  English  and  American  iuA^ention  combined. 
The  engineers,  Avho  now  saw  it  for  the  first  time,  Avere 
delighted.     It   seemed   to  haA'^e  the  intelligence  of  a 


i 


THE   FIRST  EXPEDITION  OF  1858. 


149 


human  being,  to  know  when  to  hold  on,  and  when  to 
let  go.  All  felt  that  the  great  difficulty  in  laying  the 
cable  was  removed,  and  that  under  this  gentle  manipu- 
lation it  would  glide  easily  and  smoothly  from  the  ship 
into  the  sea. 

While  these  preparations  were  going  on  in  London, 
the  Niagara,  which  did  not  leave  T^ew  York  till  the 
ninth  of  March,  arrived  at  Plymouth,  under  command 
of  Captain  Hudson,  to  take  on  board  her  share  of  the 
cable.  Both  ships  had  discharged  their  burden  at 
Keyham  Docks,  where  the  precious  freight  was  passed 
through  a  composition  of  tar  and  pitch  and  linseed-oil 
and  beeswax,  to  preserve  it  from  injury,  and  had  been 
coiled  under  cover  to  be  kept  safely  through  the  win- 
ter. The  Agamemnon  was  already  at  Plymouth,  hav- 
ing been  designated  by  the  Admiralty  again  to  take 
part  in  the  work,  though  under  a  new  commander. 
Captain  George  W.  Preedy,  an  excellent  officer.  The 
place  of  the  Leopard  was  taken  by  the  Gorgon,  under 
command  of  Captain  Dayman,  who  had  made  the 
deep-sea  soundings  in  the  C^'clops  the  year  before. 

While  the  English  Government  was  tlms  prompt  in 
furnishing  its  ships,  news  arrived  from  America  that 
the  Company  could  not  have  again  the  assistance  of 
the  Susquehanna,  which  had  accompanied  the  Niagara 
on  the  preceding  expedition.  She  was  in  the  West- 
Indies,  and  the  yellow  fever  had  broken  out  on  board. 
What  should  be  done  ?    It  was  late  to  apply  again  to 


150        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

the  American  Government,  and  it  was  doubtful  what 
would  be  the  result  of  tiie  application.  This  threatened 
some  embarrassment.  Mr.  Field  resolved  the  difficulty 
in  a  way  which  showed  his  confidence  in  the  great  and 
generous  Government  on  the  other  side  of  the  water, 
with  which  he  had  occasion  so  often  to  deal.  "VVitiiout 
waiting  for  the  action  of  the  Company,  he  called  a  cab, 
and  drove  straight  to  the  Admiralty,  and  sent  in  his 
card  to  Sir  John  Pakington,  then  First  Lord  of  the 
Admiralty.  This  gentleman,  like  his  predecessor.  Sir 
Charles  Wood,  had  shown  the  most  friendly  interest 
in  the  Atlantic  Telegrapii,  and  given  it  his  warmest 
support.  Mr.  Field  was  received  at  once,  and  began 
with  true  American  eagerness :  "  I  am  ashamed  to 
come  to  you,  after  what  the  Englisli  Government  has 
done  for  us.  But  here  is  our  case.  We  are  disap- 
pointed in  the  Susquehanna.  She  is  in  the  West-Indies, 
with  the  yellow  fever  on  board.  She  cannot  come  to 
England  to  take  part  in  the  expedition.  Can  you  do 
anything  for  us  ? ''  Sir  John  replied  that  the  Govern- 
ment had  not  ships  enough  for  its  own  use ;  that  it  was 
at  that  very  moment  chartering  vessels  to  take  troops 
to  Malta — "  but  he  would  see  what  he  could  do."  In 
an  hour  or  two  he  sent  word  to  the  office  of  the  Com- 
pany, that  Her  Majesty's  ship  Valorous — commanded 
by  Captain  AY.  C.  Aldham,  an  officer  of  great  experi- 
ence— had  been  ordered  to  take  the  place  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna in  the  next  expedition.     We  mention  this 


!i    f 


THE  FIRST  EXPEDITION   OF  1858. 


101 


little  incident,  not  so  much  to  illustrate  Mr.  Field's 
prompt  and  quick  manner  of  deciding  and  acting,  as 
to  show  the  noble  and  generous  spirit  in  which  the 
English  Government  responded  to  every  appeal. 

The  reshipping  of  the  cable  at  Plymouth  occupied 
the  whole  month  of  April  and  part  of  May.  Some 
changes  were  made  in  the  mode  adopted,  it  being 
coiled  around  large  cones.  The  work  was  done  as 
before,  by  a  hundred  and  sixty  men  detailed  for  the 
purpose,  of  whom  one  fourth  were  the  workmen  of 
the  Company,  and  the  rest  sailors  who  had  volunteered 
for  the  duty.  These  were  divided  into  gangs  of  forty, 
that  relieved  each  other,  by  which  the  work  went  on 
day  and  night.  In  this  way  they  coiled  about  thirty 
miles  in  the  twenty-four  hours.  Owing  to  the  in- 
creased length  of  cable,  and  the  greater  care  in  coiling, 
it  took  a  longer  time  than  the  year  before.  The  whole 
was  completed  about  the  middle  of  May.  There  was 
then  in  all,  on  board  the  two  ships,  a  little  over  three 
thousand  statute  miles.  This  included,  besides  seven 
hundred  miles  of  new  cable,  thirty-nine  miles  of  that 
lost  the  year  before,  which  had  been  recovered  by  the 
Company,  and  a  few  miles  of  condemned  cable  from 
Greenwich,  which  was  put  on  board  for  experiments. 
The  shipment  being  thus  complete,  and  the  paying-out 
machines  in  position,  the  ships  were  ready  to  make  a 
trial  trip,  preparatory  to  their  final  departure. 

For  this   purpose  the  telegraphic   squadron  sailed 


152 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TKLKGRAPIT. 


from  Plymouth  on  Saturday,  tlio  twenty-ninth  of  May, 
and  bore  southward  two  or  three  hundred  miles,  till 
the  green  color  of  the  sea  changing  to  a  deep  blue, 
showed  that  they  had  i-eached  the  great  depths  of  the 
ocean.  They  were  now  in  the  waters  of  the  Bay  of 
Biscay,  where  the  soundings  were  over  twenty-five 
hundred  fathoms.  Here  the  Niagara  and  the  Agamem- 
non were  connected  by  a  hawser,  being  about  a  quar- 
ter of  a  mile  apart.  The  cable  was  then  passed  from 
one  to  the  other,  and  a  series  of  experiments  begun, 
designed  to  test  both  the  strength  of  the  cable  and  the 
working  of  the  machinery.  Two  miles  of  the  cable 
were  paid  out,  Avhen  it  parted.  This  would  have 
seemed  a  bad  sign,  had  it  been  an}'  other  part  of  the 
cable  than  that  which  was  known  to  be  imperfect  and 
had  long  since  been  condemned.  The  next  day  three 
miles  were  paid  out.  Tliis,  too,  was  broken,  but  only 
when  they  tried  to  haul  it  in,  and  under  a  pressure  of 
several  tons. 

Other  experiments  Avere  tried,  such  as  splicing  the 
cable,  and  lowering  it  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea — an 
operation  which  it  was  thought  might  be  critical  in 
mid-ocean,  but  which  was  performed  without  difficulty 
— and  running  out  the  cable  at  a  rapid  rate,  Avhen  the 
speed  of  the  ship  was  increased  to  seven  knots,  without 
causing  the  cable  to  break,  or  even  to  kink.  On  the 
whole,  the  result  of  the  trip  was  satisfactory.  The 
paying-out  machine  of  Mr.  Everett  worked  well,  and 


THE  FIIIST  EXPEDITION  oK  18B8. 


153 


the  oloctrio  continuity  tliroii*,'!!  tlio  wliolo  cable  was 
pcrfoc't.  .It  was  on  tliis  ('xpodition  that  was  mud  for 
tho  lirst  tinio  tlio  niai'ino  inirroi'  <^alvaMoin<'toi'  of  I*r(j- 
fossor  Thomson,  l)y  whom  it  had  been  inventod  for 
marine  testin^j  within  llic  pn^vious  four  weeks,  and 
whicli  afterwards  [)I'ov(mI  an  instrument  so  important 
to  the  success  of  ocean  telegraphy.  After  these  ex- 
periments the  scjuadron  returned  to  Plymouth. 

As  it  hap[)ened,  tho  present  writer  had  just  arrived 
in  England,  and  landing  at  Falmouth,  hastened  to 
Plymouth,  where  the  ships  were  lying  in  the  Sound, 
It  was  Saturday,  the  ilfth  of  June,  and  the  n(!xt 
day,  by  invitation  of  Captain  Hudson,  he  conducted 
Divine  service  on  the  Niagara,  where  an  awning  was 
spread  over  the  quarter-(li>ck,  round  which  were  grouped 
tiio  officers  of  the  ship,  behind  whom  were  crowde<l 
four  or  live  hundred  seamen.  If  it  was  a  pleasure  in 
such  circumstances  to  speak  to  one's  countrymen,  it 
was  not  less  to  bo  received  Avith  equal  kindness  on 
board  tho  Agamemnon.  To  see  those  two  mighty 
ships  of  war,  with  their  consorts,  lying  side  by  side, 
not  with  guns  run  out,  but  engaged  in  a  mission  of 
peace,  seemed  indeed  an  omen  of  tho  good  time  com- 
ing, when  nations  shall  learn  war  no  more. 

Among  the  matters  of  personal  solicitude  and  anxi- 
ety at  this  time — next  to  the  success  of  tlio  expedition 
— was  Mr.  Field  himself.  Tie  was  woi'king  with  an 
activity   which  was  unnatural — which  could  only   be 


1 


I 


frii 


i  li 


154 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


kept  up  by  great  excitement,  and  which  involved  the 
most  serious  danger.  The  strain  on  the  man  was 
more  than  the  strain  on  the  cable,  and  we  were  in  fear 
that  both  would  break  together.  Often  he  had  no 
sleep,  except  such  as  he  caught  flying  on  the  railway. 
Indeed  when  we  remonstrated,  ho  said  he  could  rest 
better  there  than  anywhere  else,  for  then  he  was  not 
tormented  with  the  thought  of  any  thing  undone. 
For  the  time  being  he  could  do  no  more ;  and  putting 
his  head  in  the  cusliioned  corner  of  the  carriage,  he 
got  an  hour  or  two  of  broken  sleep. 

Of  this  nctivit}^  we  had  an  instance  while  in  Ph'm- 
outh.  The  ships  were  then  lying  in  tlie  Sound,  only 
waiting  orders  from  the  Admiralty  to  go  to  sea  ;  but 
some  business  required  one  of  the  Directors  to  go  to 
Paris,  and  as  usual,  it  fell  upon  Mr.  Field.  lie  left  on 
Sunday  night  and  \vent  to  Bristol,  and  thence,  by  the 
first  morning  train,  to  London.  Monday  he  was  busy 
all  day,  and  that  night  went  to  Paris.  Tuesday,  another 
busy  day,  and  that  night  back  to  London.  Wednes- 
day, occupied  every  minute  till  the  departure  of  the 
Great  Western  train.  That  night  back  to  Plymouth. 
Thuisday  morning  on  board  the  Niagara,  and  imme- 
diately tlio  squadron  sailed. 

It  \vas  the  tenth  day  of  J  une  that  the  expedition  left 
England,  v;ith  fair  skies  and  bright  prospects.  In 
truth,  it  was  a  gallant  siglit,  as  these  four  ships  stood 
out  to  sea  together — those  old  companions,  the  Ni- 


.bill 


1?!lf' 


THE  FIRST  EXPEDITION   OF  1858. 


155 


agara  and  thvO  Agamemnon,  leading  the  wa}^  followed 
by  their  new  attendants,  the  Yalorous  and  the  Gor- 
gon. Never  did  a  voyage  begin  Avith  better  omens. 
The  day  was  one  of  tlie  mildest  of  Juno,  and  the  sea 
so  still,  tliat  one  could  scarcely  perceive,  by  the  motion 
of  the  ship,  when  they  passed  beyond  the  breakwater 
off  Plymouth  harbor  into  the  Channel,  or  into  the  open 
sea.  At  night,  it  was  almost  a  dead  calm.  The  sec- 
ond day  was  like  the  first.  There  was  scarcely  wind 
enough  to  srv^ell  the  sails.  The  ships  were  all  in  sight, 
and  as  the}^  kept  under  easy  steam,  they  seemed  bound 
on  a  voyage  of  pleasure,  gliding  over  a  summer  sea  to 
certain  sjccess. 

It  had  been  supposed  that  tlio  expedition  of  tliis 
year  would  have  a  great  advantage?  over  the  last,  from 
sailing  two  months  earlier,  at  what  was  considered  a 
more  favorable  season.  So  said  all  the  wise  men  of 
the  sea.  Tley  had  given  their  opinion  that  June  was 
the  best  month  for  crossing  the  Atlantic.  Then  they 
were  almost  sure  of  fair  weather.  The  first  three  days 
of  the  voyage  confirmed  these  predictions,  and  they 
who  had  made  them,  being  found  true  prophets,  shook 
their  heads  with  great  satisfaction. 

But  alas !  for  the  vanity  of  human  expectations  or 
for  those  who  put  trust  in  ihe  treacherous  sea.  On 
Sunday  it  began  to  blow.  The  barometer  fell,  and  all 
signs  indicated  to  the  eye  of  a  seaman  rough  weather. 
From  this  time  they  had  a  succession  of  gales  for  more 


II 


1 


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156 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


than  a  week.  From  day  to  day  it  blew  fiercer  than 
before,  till  Sunday,  tiie  twentieth,  when  the  gale  was 
at  its  height,  and  the  spirit  of  the  storm  was  out  on 
the  A.tlantic.  Up  to  this  time  the  Niagara  and  the 
Agamemnon  (though  they  had  long  since  parted  from 
the  Valorous  and  the  Gorgon)  had  managed  to  keep 
in  sight  of  each  other  ;  and  now  from  the  deck  of  the 
former  the  latter  was  seen  a  mile  and  a  half  distant, 
rolling  heavily  in  the  sea.  The  signals  Avliich  she 
made  showed  that  she  was  struggling  with  the  fury  of 
the  gale.  She  was  really  in  great  danger  of  founder- 
ing. But  this  was  owing,  not  merely  to  the  severity 
of  the  gale,  but  to  the  enormous  weight  she  carried, 
and  to  the  way  this  huge  bulk  was  stowed  in  the  ship. 
Only  a  few  days  before  we  had  been  on  board  of 
her,  and  Captain  Preedy  showed  us,  in  one  coil,  thir- 
teen hundred  miles  of  cable !  This  made  a  dead 
weight  of  as  many  hundred  tons,  which  rendered  her 
in  roun^h  weather  almost  unmanageable.  To  make  the 
matter  worse,  she  had  another  coil  of  about  two  hun- 
dred and  fifty  tons  on  the  forward  deck,  where  it 
made  the  head  of  tlie  ship  heavy.  In  her  tremendous 
rolls,  this  coil  broke  loose,  and  threatened  at  a  time  to 
dash  like  an  avalanche  through  the  side  of  the  ship. 
But  at  the  most  fearful  moments  the  gallant  seaman 
in  command  never  lost  his  presence  of  mind.  He  was 
always  on  deck,  watching  with  a  vigilant  eye  the 
raging  of  the   tempest,   and   issuing  his   orders  with 


r  1 


Is 


THE  FIRST   EXPEDITION  OF   1858. 


157 


coolness  and  prompt  decision.     To  this  admirable  skill 
was  due  the  safety  of  the  ship,  and  of  all  on  board.* 

But  all  things  have  an  end  ;  and  this  long  gale  at 
last  blew  itself  out,  and  the  weary  ocean  rocked  itself 
to  rest.  Toward  the  last  of  the  week  the  squadron 
gi>t  together  at  the  appointed  rendezvous  in  mid-ocean. 
As  the  ships  came  in  sight,  the  angry  sea  went  down  ; 
and  on  Friday,  June  twenty-fifth,  just  fifteen  da^'S 
from  Pl\  iriouth,  they  were  all  together,  as  tranquil  in 
the  middle  of  the  Atlantic  as  if  in  Plymouth  Sound. 
"  This  evening  the  t'oui*  vessels  lay  togetlier,  side  by 
side,  -^-nd  there  was  such  a  stillness  in  the  sea  and  air, 
as  'vrnla  have  seemed  remarkable  in  an  inland  lake  ; 
on  the  Atlantic,  and  after  wliat  we  had  all  so  latelv 
Avitnessed,  it  seemed  almost  unnatural."  The  boats 
were  out,  and  the  officers  were  passing  from  ship  to 
ship,  telling  their  experiences  of  the  voyage,  and  form- 
ing their  plans  for  the  morrow.  Captains  Aldliam 
and  Dayman  said  it  was  the  worst  wt-ather  they  had 
ever  experienced  in  the  Xortli-Atlantic.  But  it  was 
the  Agamenmon  that  suffered  most.     The  rough  sea 

*  As  there  is  no  trouble  without  a  compeiisatior  it  is  sometliinp:  that 
this  voyage,  fearful  as  it  was,  furriislied  a  subjef  for  a  description  of 
marvellous  power.  The  letter  to  tlie  London  '1,  ncs,  written  by  Mr. 
Woods,  its  correspondent  on  board  Un  Agamemnon,  is  otie  of  the  finest 
descriptions  of  a  storm  at  sea  we  know  of  in  the  language.  It  is  a  won- 
derful specimen  of  "word-painting,"  mid  brings  tlie  scene  before  us 
with  a  vividness  like  that  of  the  marine  paiatiuge  of  Stautield  or 
Turner. 


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158        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

had  shaken  not  only  the  ship,  but  the  cable  in  her. 
The  upper  part  of  the  main  coil  had  shifted,  and 
become  so  twisted  and  tangled,  that  a  hundred  miles 
had  to  be  got  out  and  coiled  in  another  part  of  the 
ship,  so  that  it  was  not  till  the  afternoon  of  Saturday, 
the  twenty-sixth,  that  the  splice  was  finally  made,  and 
the  cable  lowered  to  the  bottom  of  the  sea.  The  ships 
were  then  got  under  wa}',  but  had  not  gone  three 
miles,  before  the  cable  broke,  being  caught  in  the  ma- 
chinery on  board  the  Niagara.  It  was  fortunate  they 
had  gone  no  farther.  Both  ships  at  once  turned  about 
and  spliced  again  the  same  afternoon,  and  made  a  fresh 
start.  Now  all  went  well.  The  paying-out  machines 
worked  smoothl}"^,  and  the  cable  ran  off  easily  into  the 
sea.  Thus  each  ship  had  paid  out  abo"'  forty  miles 
when  suddenly  the  current  ceased  ! 

Says  the  writer  on  the  Agamemnon  :  "  At  half-past 
three  o'clock  [Sunday  mormng]  forty  miles  had  gone, 
and  nothing  could  be  more  perfect  and  regular  than 
the  working  of  every  thing,  when  suddenly  Professor 
Thomson  came  on  deck,  and  reported  a  total  break 
of  continuity  ;  that  the  cable  in  fact  had  parted,  and, 
as  was  believed  at  the  time,  from  the  Niagara.  In 
another  instant  a  gun  and  a  blue-light  warned  the 
Valorous  of  what  had  happened,  and  roused  all  on 
board  the  Agamemnon  to  a  knowledge  that  the  ma- 
chinery was  silent,  and  that  the  first  part  of  the 
Atlantic  Cable  had  been  laid  and  lost  effectually." 


m 


THE  FIRST  EXPEDITION  OF  1858. 


159 


M 


This  was  disheartening,  but  not  so  much  from  the 
fact  of  a  fresh  breaking  of  the  cable,  as  from  the  mys- 
ter}"^  as  to  its  cause.  The  fact,  of  course,  was  known 
instantly  on  both  ships,  but  the  cause  was  unknown. 
Those  on  each  ship  supposed  it  had  occurred  on  the 
other.  "With  this  impression  they  turned  about  to 
beat  up  again  toward  the  rendezvous.  It  was  noon 
of  Monday,  the  twenty-eighth,  before  the  Agamemnon 
rejoined  the  Niagara  ;  and  then,  says  the  writer  : 

"  Wliile  all  were  waiting?  with  impatience  for  her  expla- 
nation of  how  tliey  broke  the  cable,  she  electrified  every  one 
by  running  up  the  interrogatory  :  '  How  did  the  cable  part  ? ' 
This  was  astounding.  As  soon  as  the  boats  could  be  low- 
ered, Mr.  Cyrus  Field,  with  the  electricians  from  the  Niag- 
ara, came  on  board,  and  a  comparison  of  logs  showed  the 
painful  and  mysterious  fact  that,  at  the  same  second  of  time, 
each  vessel  discovered  tliat  a  total  fracture  had  taken  place 
at  a  distance  of  certainly  not  less  tlian  ten  miles  from  each 
ship;  in  fact,  as  well  as  cau  be  judged,  at  the  bottom  of  the 
ocean.  That  of  all  the  many  mishaps  connected  with  the 
Atlantic  Telegraph,  this  is  tlie  worst  and  mo.st  disheartening 
is  certain,  since  it  proves  tliat,  after  all  that  human  skill  and 
science  can  effect  to  lay  the  wire  down  with  safety  has  been 
accomplislied,  there  may  be  some  fatal  obstacles  to  success 
at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  which  can  never  be  guarded 
against;  for  even  the  nature  of  the  peril  nmst  always  remain 
as  >i«H;ret  and  unknown  as  the  depths  in  which  it  is  to  be 
encountered." 

But  it  Avas  no  time  for  useless  regrets.  Once  more 
the  cable  was  joined  in  mid-ocean,  and  dropped  to  its 


; 


160 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


!l    < 


silent  bed,  and  the  Niagara  and  the  Agamemnon  be- 
gan to  steam  away  toward  opposite  shores  of  the 
Atlantic.  This  time  the  experiment  succeeded  better 
than  before.  The  progress  of  the  English  ship  is  thus 
reported  : 

"  At  first,  the  ship's  speed  was  only  two  knots,  the  cable 
going  three  and  three  and  a  half,  with  a  strain  of  fifteen 
hundred  pounds.  By  and  by,  however,  the  speed  was  in- 
creased to  four  knots,  the  cable  going  five,  at  a  strain  of  two 
thousand  pounds.  At  this  rate  it  was  kept,  witli  trifling 
variations,  throughout  almost  the  whole  of  Monday  night, 
and  neither  Mr.  Bright,  Mr.  Canning,  nor  Mr.  Clifford  ever 
quitted  the  nuichiues  for  an  instant.  Toward  the  middle  of 
the  night,  while  the  rate  of  the  ship  continued  the  same,  the 
speed  at  which  the  cable  paid  out  slackened  nearly  a  knot 
an  hour,  while  the  dynamometer  indicated  as  low  as  thirteen 
hundred  pounds.  This  change  could  only  be  accounted  for 
on  the  supposition  that  the  water  had  shallowed  to  a  consid- 
erable extent,  and  that  the  vessel  was,  in  fact,  passing  over 
some  submarine  Ben  Nevis  or  Skiddaw.  After  an  interval 
of  about  an  hour,  the  strain  and  rate  of  progress  of  the  cable 
again  increased,  while  the  increase  of  the  vertical  angle 
seemed  to  indicate  that  the  wire  was  sinking  down  the  side 
of  a  declivitj'.  Beyond  this,  there  was  no  variation  through- 
out Monday  night,  or,  indeed,  through  Tuesday." 

On  board  the  Niagara  was  the  same  scene  of  anx- 
ious watching  every  hour  of  the  day  and  niglit.  Engi- 
neers and  electricians  were  constantly  on  duty  : 

"  The  scene  at  night  was  beautiful.  Scarcely  a  word  was 
spoken  ;    silence    was    commanded,    and    no   conve.'sa<^"Gii 


THE  FIRST  EXPEDITION  OF  1858. 


1(51 


allowed.  Nothing  was  lieard  but  the  strange  rattling  of  the 
machine  as  the  ca])le  was  running  out.  The  lights  about 
deck  and  in  the  quarter-deck  circle  added  to  tlie  singularity 
of  the  spectacle  :  and  those  who  were  on  board  the  ship  de- 
scribe the  state  of  anxious  suspense  in  which  all  were  held 
as  exceedingly  impressive." 

Warned  by  repeated  failures,  the}"  hardly  dared  to 
hope  for  success  in  this  last  experiment.  And  yet  the 
spirits  of  all  rose,  as  the  distance  widened  between  the 
ships.  A  hundred  miles  were  laid  safely — a  hundred 
and  fifty — two  hundred !  Why  might  they  not  lay 
two  thousand  ?  So  reasoned  the  sanguine  and  hopeful 
when,  Tuesday  night,  came  the  fatal  announcement 
that  the  electric  current  had  ceased  to  flow.  It  after- 
ward api)eared  that  the  cable  had  broken  about  twenty 
feet  from  the  stern  of  the  Agamemnon. 

As  the  cable  was  now  useless,  it  only  remained  to 

cut  it  from  the  stern  of  the  Niagara.     Before  doing 

this,  it    was   thought  a  good   opportunity  to   test  its 

strength.      For   this    pur[)ose    the   brakes   were    ^hut 

down,  so  that  the  paying-out  machine  could  not  move. 

But  still  the  cable  did  nut  break,  although  the  whole 

weight  of  the  Niagara  hung  upon  that  slender  cord, 

and  though  several  men  got  upon  the  brakes.     Says 

Captain  Hudson  :  "Although  the  wind  was  quite  fresh, 

the  cable  held  the  ship  for  one  hour  and  forty  minutes 

before  breaking,  and  notwithstanding  a  strain  'of  four 

tons." 

11 


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STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

I'il'lj 


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i  i! 


Though  not  unexpected,  this  last  breaking  of  the 
cable  was  a  sad  blow  to  all  on  board.  It  was  the  end 
of  their  hopes,  at  least  for  the  present  expedition. 
Before  separating,  it  had  been  agreed,  that  if  the  cable 
should  part  again  before  either  ship  had  run  a  hun- 
dred miles,  they  should  return  and  renew  the  attempt. 
If  they  had  passed  that  limit,  they  were  all  to  sail  for 
Ireland.  But  the  Xiagara  had  run  out  a  hundred  and 
eleven  miles,  and  knowing  that  the  Agamemnon  had 
done  about  the  same,  she  expected  the  latter  would 
keep  on  her  course  eastward,  not  stopping  till  she 
reached  Queenstown.  The  Niagara,  therefore,  reluc- 
tantly bore  away  for  the  same  port. 

Of  course,  the  return  voyage  Avas  "any  thing  but 
gay."  When  soldiers  come  home  from  the  war,  they 
march  with  a  proud  ste{),  if  they  have  had  a  victorious 
campaign.  But  it  is  otherwise  when  they  come  with 
a  sad  tale  of  disaster  and  defeat.  Seldom  had  an  ex- 
pedition begun  with  higher  hopes,  or  ended  in  more 
complete  failure.  Who  could  help  feeling  keenly  this 
fresh  disappointment  ?  Even  with  all  the  courage 
"  that  may  become  a  man,"  heightened  by  a  natural 
buoyancy  of  spirits,  how  Avas  it  possible  to  resist  the 
impression  of  the  facts  they  had  just  witnessed  ?  If — 
as  Lord  Carlisle  had  told  them  the  year  before — "  there 
was  almost  enough  of  o-Iorv  in  the  verv  desicfn  of  an 
Atlantic  telegraph,"  that  glory  might  still  be  theirs. 
But  apparently  they  could  hope  for  nothing  more. 


■     f 

i 

I 


THE  FIRST   EXPEDITION  OF   1858. 


103 


ii 


Thoy  had  done  all  that  men  could  do.  But  fate 
seemed  against  them  ;  and  who  can  figlit  against  des- 
tiny ?  Xo  one  can  blame  them  if  they  sometimes  had 
sore  misgivings,  and  looked  out  sadly  upon  the  sea  that 
had  baffled  their  utmost  skill,  and  now  laughed  their 
efforts  to  scorn. 

In  this  mood  they  entered  once  more  the  liarbor  of 
Queenstown.  Tlie  Niagara  was  the  first  to  arrive  and 
to  brinff  tidings  of  the  great  xjisaster.  The  Agamem- 
non  came  in  a  few  da\s  after.  Knowing  tlie  fatal  im- 
pression their  report  was  likely  to  ]>roduce,  Mr.  Field 
hastened  to  London  to  meet  the  Directors.  It  was 
high  time.  The  news  had  reached  there  before  him, 
and  had  already  produced  its  effect.  Under  its  im- 
pression the  Board  was  called  together.  It  met  in 
the  same  r<jom  where,  six  weeks  before,  it  had  dis- 
cussed the  prospects  of  the  expedition  with  full  con- 
fidence of  success.  T^ow  it  met,  as  a  council  of  war  is 
summoned  after  a  terrible  defeat,  to  decide  whether 
to  surrender  or  to  try  once  more  tiie  chances  of  battle. 
When  the  Directors  came  together,  the  feeling — to 
call  it  by  the  mildest  name — was  one  of  extreme  dis- 
couragement. They  looked  blankly  in  each  other's 
faces.  With  some,  the  feeling  was  one  almost  of 
despair.  Sir  William  Brown,  of  Liverpool,  the  first 
Cliairman,  wrote,  advising  them  to  sell  the  cable.  Mr, 
Brooking,  the  Vice-Chairman.  who  liad  given  move 
time   to  it    than    any  other   Director,  when    he  saw 


Ki-i 


STORY  OP  TRK  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPn. 


f     ' 


that  his  coUoaguos  wei'e  disposod  to  make  still  an- 
other trial,  left  the  room,  and  the  next  day  sent  in 
his  resignation,  determined  to  take  no  further  part  in 
an  undertaking  which  had  been  proved  iiopeless,  and 
to  ])ersist  in  which  seemed  mere  raslmess  and  folly. 

But  others  thought  there  was  still  a  chance.  Like 
Robert  Bruce,  who,  after  twelve  battles  and  twelve 
defeats,  yet  believed  that  a  thirteenth  might  bring  vic- 
tory, they  clung  to  this  bare  possibility.  Mr.  Field 
and  Professor  Thomson  gave  the  results  of  their  ex- 
perience, from  which  it  appeared  that  there  was  no 
obstacle  in  the  nature  of  the  case  which  might  not  be 
overcome.  Mr.  Bi'ight  and  Mr.  Woodhouse  joined 
with  them  in  advising  strongly  that  they  should  re- 
new the  attempt.  To  be  sure,  it  was  a  forlorn  hope. 
But  the  ships  were  thei'e.  Though  thev  had  lost  three 
hundred  miles  of  cable,  thev  had  still  enough  on 
board  to  cross  the  sea.  These  arguments  prevailed, 
and  it  was  voted  to  make  one  more  trial  before 
the  project  was  finally  abandoned.  Even  though  the 
chances  Avere  a  hundred  to  one  against  them,  that  one 
might  bring  them  success.  And  so  it  proved.  But 
Avas  it  their  own  wisdom  or  courage  that  got  thcnn 
the  victory,  or  were  they  led  by  that  Being  whose 
way  is  in  the  sea,  and  whose  path  is  in  the  great 
waters  ? 


CTIAPTETl  X. 


THE    SECOND    EXI'KDITION    SUCCESSFUL. 


I   I 


A  BOLD  decision  needs  to  be  followed  by  prompt 
action,  lest  the  spirit  that  inspired  it  be  weakened  by 
delay.  AVlien  onco  it  had  been  fixed  that  there  was  to 
be  another  attempt  to  lay  the  Atlantic  cable,  no  time 
was  lost  in  carrying  the  resolve  into  execution.  The 
telegraphic  fleet  was  lying  at  Queenstown.  The  Niag- 
ara had  arrived  on  the  fifth  of  July,  but  the  Agamem- 
non, which,  through  some  misunderstanding,  had 
returned  to  the  rende/.vous  in  mid-ocean,  thus  cross- 
ing the  Niagara  on  her  track,  did  not  get  in  till  a 
week  later.  However,  all  were  now  there,  safe  and 
sound,  and  Mr.  Field  and  Mr.  Samuel  Gurney  went 
to  the  Admiralty,  and  got  an  order  which  they  tele- 
graphed to  the  ships  to  get  ready  immediately  to  go 
to  sea.  Not  an  hour  was  lost.  They  had  barely  time 
to  take  in  coal  and  other  supplies  for  the  voyage.  Mr. 
Field  hastened  from  England,  and  Prof.  Thomson 
from  his  home  in  Scotland,  and  in  five  days  the 
squadron  was  under  way,  bound  once  more  for  the 
middle  of  the  Atlantic. 

It  was  Saturday,  the  seventeenth  of  July,  that  the 


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166 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


;  !■■  fci } 


ships  left  on  their  second  expedition.  As  they  sailed 
out  of  the  Cove  of  Cork,  it  was  with  none  of  the  en- 
thusiasm which  attended  their  departure  from  Valen- 
tia  the  year  before,  or  even  from  Plymouth  on  the 
tenth  of  June.  Nobody  cheered ;  nobody  bade  them 
God-speed.  "  As  the  ships  left  the  harbor,  there  was 
apparently  no  notice  taken  of  their  departure  by  those 
on  shore,  or  in  the  vessels  anchored  around  them ; 
every  one  seemed  impressed  with  the  conviction  that 
they  were  engaged  in  a  hopeless  enterprise,  and  the 
squadron  seemed  rather  to  have  slunk  away  on  some 
discreditable  mission,  than  to  have  sailed  for  the  ac- 
complishment of  a  grand  national  scheme."  Many 
even  of  those  on  board  felt  that  they  were  going  on 
a  fool's  errand ;  that  the  Company  was  possessed  by  a 
kind  of  insanity,  of  wh^ch  they  would  soon  be  cured 
by  another  bitter  experience. 

On  leaving  this  second  time,  it  was  agreed  that  the 
squadron  should  not  tr}'  to  keep  together,  but  each 
ship  make  its  way  to  the  given  latitude  and  longi- 
tude which  was  the  appointed  rendezvous  in  mid-ocean. 
The  Niagara,  being  the  largest,  and  able  to  carry  the 
most  coal,  kept  under  steam  the  whole  way,  and  ar- 
rived first,  and  waited  several  days  for  the  other  ships 
to  appear.  The  Valorous  came  next,  and  then  the 
Gorgon,  and,  last  of  all,  th^  Agamemnon,  which  had 
been  saving  her  coal  for  the  return  voyage,  and  had 
been  delayed  for  want  of  a  little  of  that  wind  which, 


THE  SECOND  EXPEDITION  SUCCESSFUL. 


167 


in  the  former  expedition,  she  had  had  in  too  great  abun- 
ance.     Says  the  Fnglish  correspondent  on  board : 

"For  several  days  in  succession  there  was  an  uninter- 
rupted calm.  The  moon  was  just  at  the  full,  and  for  several 
nights  it  shone  witli  a  brilliancy  which  turned  tlie  sea  into 
one  silvery  sheet,  which  brouglit  out  tlie  dark  hull  and 
white  sails  of  the  ship  in  strong  contrast  to  the  sea  and  sky, 
as  the  vessel  lay  all  but  motionless  on  the  water,  the  very 
impersonation  of  solitude  and  repose.  Indeed,  until  the 
rendezvous  was  gained,  we  had  such  a  succession  of  beau- 
tiful sunrises,  gorgeous  sunsets,  and  tranquil  moonlight 
nights,  as  would  have  excited  the  most  enthusiastic  admira- 
tion of  any  one  but  persons  situated  as  we  were.  But  by  us 
such  scenes  were  regarded  only  as  the  annoying  indications 
of  tlie  calm,  which  delaj'edour  progress  and  wasted  our  coal. 
By  dint,  however,  of  a  judicious  expenditure  of  fuel,  and  a 
liberal  use  of  the  cheaper  motive  power  of  sail,  the  rendez- 
vous was  reached  on  Wednesday,  the  twenty -eighth  of  July, 
just  eleven  days  after  our  departure  from  Queenstown.  The 
rest  of  the  squadron  came  in  sight  at  nightfall,  but  at  such 
a  distance  that  it  was  past  ten  o'clock  on  the  morning  of 
Thursday,  the  twenty-ninth,  before  the  Agamerinion  joined 
them. 

' '  The  day  was  beautifully  calm,  so  no  time  was  to  be  lost 
before  making  the  splice  ;  boats  were  soon  lowei-ed  from  the 
attendant  ships,  the  two  vessels  made  fast  by  a  hawser,  and 
the  Niagara's  end  of  the  cable  conveyed,  on  board  the  Aga- 
memnon. About  half-past  twelve  o'clock  the  splice  was 
effectually  made.  In  hoisting  it  out  from  the  side  of  the  ship 
the  leaden  sinker  broke  short  off  and  fell  overboard  ;  and 
there  being  no  more  convenient  weight  at  hand,  a  thirty-two 


168        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


I 


:"i 


I 


II   ! 


pound  shot  was  fastened  to  the  splice  instead,  and  the  whole 
apparatus  was  quickly  dropped  into  the  sea  without  any 
formality,  and  indeed  almost  without  a  spectator,  for  those 
on  board  the  ship  had  witnessed  so  many  beginnings  to  the 
telegraphic  line,  that  it  was  evident  they  despaired  of  there 
ever  being  an  end  to  it.  The  stipulated  two  hundred  and 
ten  fathoms  having  been  paid  out,  the  signal  to  start  was 
hoisted,  the  hawser  cast  loose,  and  the  Niagara  and  Aga- 
memnon started  for  the  last  time  for  their  opposite  desti- 
nations." 

At  this  moment  the  ships  were  nearly  in  mid-ocean, 
but  not  exactly.  Mr.  Field,  who  never  indulged  in 
poetical  descriptions,  but  always  gave  the  figures, 
stating  the  precise  latitude  and  longitude,  and  from 
what  quarter  the  wind  blew,  and  how  many  fath- 
oms deep  the  ocean  was,  and  how  many  miles  of  cable 
were  on  board,  made  the  following  entry  in  his  jour- 
nal: 

"  Thursday,  July  twenty-ninth,  latitude  fifty-two  degrees 
nine  minutes  north,  longitude  thirty-two  degrees  twenty- 
seven  minutes  west.  Telegraph  Fleet  all  in  sight  ;  sea 
smooth;  light  wind  from  S.E.  to  S.S.E. ;  cloudy.  Splice 
made  at  one  p.m.  Signals  through  the  whole  length  of  the 
cable  on  board  both  ships  perfect.  Depth  of  water  fifteen 
hundred  fathoms ;  distance  to  the  entrance  of  Valentia  har- 
bor eight  hundred  and  thirteen  nautical  miles,  and  from 
there  to  the  telegraph-house  the  shore  end  of  the  cable  is 
laid.  Distance  to  the  entrance  of  Trinity  Bay,  Newfound- 
land, eight  hundred  and  twenty-two  nau.Ical  miles,  and  from 
there  to  the  telegraph-house  at  the  head  of  the  bay  of  Bull's 


I J 


THE  SECOND  EXPEDITION  SUCCESSFUL. 


1G9 


Arm,  sixty  miles,  making  in  all  eight  hundred  and  eighty- 
two  nautical  miles.  The  Niagara  has  sixty-nine  miles  fur- 
ther to  run  than  the  Agamemnon.  The  Niagara  and  Aga- 
memnon have  each  eleven  hundred  nautical  miles  of  cable 
on  board,  about  the  same  quantity  as  last  year." 

And  now,  as  the  ships  are  fairly  apart,  and  will  soon 
lose  sight  of  each  other,  we  will  leave  the  Agamemnon 
for  the  present  to  pursue  her  course  toward  IrelantI, 
while  we  follow  our  own  Niagara  to  the  shores  of  the 
New  World.  At  firet  of  course,  while  all  hoped  for 
success,  no  one  dared  to  expect  it.  They  said  after- 
wards that  "  Mr.  Field  was  the  only  man  on  board 
who  kept  up  his  courage  through  it  all."  But  the 
chances  seemed  many  to  one  against  them  ;  and  the 
warnings  were  frequent  to  excite  their  fears.  That 
very  evening,  about  sunset,  all  again  seemed  lost.  We 
quote  from  Mr.  Field's  journal :  "  At  fort\'-five  min- 
utes past  seven  p.m.,  ship's  time,  signals  from  the  Aga- 
memnon ceased,  and  the  tests  applied  by  the  electri- 
cians showed  that  there  was  a  want  of  continuity  in 
the  cable,  but  the  insulation  was  ])erfect.  Kept  on 
paying  out  from  the  Niagara  very  slowly,  and  con- 
stantly applying  all  kinds  of  electrical  tests  until  ten 
minutes  past  nine,  ship's  time,  when  again  commenced 
receiving  perfect  signals  from  the  Agamemnon."  At 
the  same  moment  the  English  ship  had  the  same  relief 
from  anxiety. 

The  next  day  there  was  a  fresh  cause  of  alarm.     It 


[ 


170 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


;i 


I 


i 


was  found  that  the  Niagara  had  run  some  miles  out  of 
her  course.  Comparing  the  distance  run  by  observa- 
tion and  by  patent  log,  there  was  a  difference  of  six- 
teen miles  and  a  third.  "With  such  a  percentage  of  loss, 
the  cable  would  not  hold  out  to  reach  Newfoundland. 
This  was  alarming,  but  it  was  soon  explained.  The 
mass  of  iron  in  the  ship  had  affected  the  compass,  so 
that  it  no  longer  pointed  to  the  right  quarter  of  the 
heavens.  Had  the  Niagara  been  alone  on  the  ocean, 
this  might  have  caused  serious  trouble.  But  now  ap- 
peared the  great  advantage  of  an  attendant  ship.  It 
was  at  once  arranged  that  the  Gorgon  should  go  ahead 
and  lead  the  way.  As  she  had  no  cable  on  board,  her 
compasses  were  subject  to  no  deviation.  Accordingly 
she  took  her  position  in  the  advance,  keeping  the  line 
along  the  great  circle  arc,  which  wsis  the  prescribed 
route.  From  that  moment  there  was  no  variation,  or 
but  a  very  slight  one.  The  two  methods  of  comput- 
ing the  distance — by  log  and  by  observation — nearly 
coincided,  and  the  ship  varied  scarcely  a  mile  from 
her  course  till  she  entered  Trinity  Bay. 

It  is  not  necessary  to  follow  the  whole  voyage,  for 
the  record  is  the  same  from  day  to  day.  It  is  the 
same  sleepless  watching  of  the  cable  as  it  runs  out  day 
and  night,  and  the  same  anxious  estimate  of  the  dis- 
tance that  still  separates  them  from  land.  Communi- 
cation is  kept  up  constantly  between  the  ships.  Mr. 
Field's  journal  contains  entries  like  these : 


SECOND  EXPEDITION  SUCCESSFUL. 


171 


"  Saturday,  July  thirty-first.  By  eleven  o'clock  had  paid 
out  from  the  Niagara  three  hundred  miles  of  cable ;  at  forty- 
five  minutes  past  two  received  signals  from  the  Agamemnon 
that  tliey  had  paid  out  from  her  three  hundred  miles  of 
cable;  at  thirty-seven  minutes  past  five  finished  coil  on  the 
berth-deck,  and  conmienced  ])aying  out  from  the  lower 
deck." 

"Monday,  August  second.  The  Niagara  getting  light, 
and  rolling  very  much ;  it  was  not  considered  safe  to  carry 
sail  to  steady  ship,  for  in  case  of  accident  it  might  be  neces- 
sary to  stop  the  vessel  as  soon  as  possible.  Passed  and  sig- 
nalled the  Cunard  steamer  from  Boston  to  Liverpool."  Same 
day  about  noon,  "  imperfect  insulation  of  cable  detected  in 
sending  and  receiving  signals  from  the  Agamemnon,  which 
continued  until  forty  minutes  past  Ave,  when  all  was  right 
again.  The  fault  Avas  found  to  be  in  the  ward-room,  about 
sixty  miles  from  the  lower  end.  which  was  immediately  cut 
out,  and  taken  out  of  the  circuit." 

"  Tuesday,  August  third.  At  a  quarter-past  eleven,  ship's 
time,  received  signals  from  on  board  the  Agamemnon;  that 
they  had  paid  out  from  her  seven  hundred  and  eighty  miles 
of  cable.  In  the  afternoon  and  evening  passed  several  ice- 
bergs. At  ten  minutes  past  nine  p.m.,  ship's  time,  received 
signal  from  the  Agamemnon  that  she  was  in  water  of  two 
hundred  fathoms.  At  twenty  minutes  past  ten  P.M.,  ship's 
time,  Niagara  in  water  of  two  hundred  fathoms,  and  informed 
the  Agamemnon  of  the  same. 

"Wednesday,  August  fourth.  Deptli  of  Avater  less  than 
two  hundred  fathoms.  "Weather  beautiful,  perfectly  calm. 
Gorgon  in  sight.  Sixty-four  miles  from  the  telegraph-house. 
Received  signal  from  Agamemnon  at  noon  tluit  they  had 
paid  out  from  her  nine  hundred  and  forty  miles  of  cable. 


' 


179 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Passed  this  morning  several  icebergs.  Made  the  land  off 
entrance  to  Trinity  Bay  at  eight  a.m.  Entered  Trinity  Bay 
at  half -past  twelve.  At  half-past  two,  we  stopped  sending 
signals  to  Agamemnon  for  fourteen  minutes,  for  the  purpose 
of  making  splice.  At  five  p.m.  saw  Her  Majesty's  steamer 
Porcupine  [which  had  been  sent  by  the  British  Government 
to  Newfoundland,  to  watch  for  the  telegraph  ships]  coming 
to  us.  At  half-past  seven.  Captain  Otter,  of  the  Porcupine, 
came  en  board  of  tlie  Niagara  to  pilot  us  to  the  anchorage, 
near  the  telegraph-house.* 

*  The  spot  chosen  as  the  terminus  of  the  Atlantic  cable,  with  the 
views  around  it — both  on  the  water  and  on  land — is  thus  described  by  a 
correspondent : 

"  All  who  have  visited  Trinity  Bay,  Newfoundland,  with  one  consent 
allow  it  to  bo  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sheets  of  water  they  ever  set 
eyes  upon.  Its  color  is  very  peculiar — an  Inexpressible  minglins:  of  the 
pure  blue  ocean  with  the  deep  evergreen  woodlands  and  the  serene  blue 
Bky.  Its  extreme  length  is  about  eighty  miles,  its  breadth  about  thirty 
miles,  opening  boldly  into  the  Atl.antic  oti  the  northern  side  of  the 
island.  At  its  south-western  shore  it  branches  Into  the  Bay  of  Bull's 
Arm,  which  is  a  quiet,  safe,  and  beautiful  harbor,  about  two  miles  in 
breadth,  and  nine  or  ten  in  length,  running  in  a  direction  north-west. 

"  The  depth  of  water  is  sufficient  for  the  largest  vessels.  The  tide 
rises  seven  or  eiglit  feet,  and  the  bay  terminates  in  a  beautiful  sand- 
beach.  The  shore  ia  clothed  with  dark  green  fir-trees,  which,  mixed 
with  birch  and  mountain-ash,  present  a  pleasing  contrast.  The  land 
rises  gradually  from  the  water  all  around,  so  as  to  afford  one  of  the  most 
agreeable  town  sites  in  the  island.  You  ascend  only  about  a  quarter  of 
a  mile  from  the  water,  and  there  are  no  longer  trees,  but  wild  grass  like 
an  open  prairie.  Here  are  found  at  this  season  myriads  of  the  upland 
cranberries,  upon  which  unnumbered  ptarmigan,  or  the  northern  par- 
tridge, feed. 

"  The  raspberry,  bake-apple  berry,  and  the  whortleberry  are  also 
comtnon.  Numerous  little  lakes  may  be  seen  in  the  open,  elevated 
ground,  from  which  flow  rivulets,  affording  abundance  of  fine  trout. 


i 


SECOND  EXPEDITION  SUCC'RSSFUL. 


173 


"  Thursday,  August  fifth.  At  forty-five  minutes  past  one 
A.M.,  Niagara  anchored.  Total  amount  of  cable  paid  out 
since  splice  was  made,  ten  hundred  and  sixteen  miles,  six 
hundred  fathoms.  Total  amount  of  distance,  eight  hundred 
and  eighty-two  miles.  Amount  of  cable  paid  out  over  dis- 
tance run,  one  hundred  and  thirty-four  miles,  six  hundi-ed 
fathoms,  being  a  surplus  of  about  fifteen  per  cent.  At  two 
A.M.,  I  went  ashore  in  a  small  boat,  and  awoke  pei-sons  in 
charge  of  the  telegraph-house,  half  a  mile  from  landing,  and 
informed  them  that  the  Telegraph  Fleet  had  arrived,  and 
were  ready  to  land  the  end  of  the  cable.  At  forty-five  min- 
utes past  two,  received  signal  from  the  Agamemnon  that 
she  had  paid  out  ten  hundred  and  ten  miles  of  cable.     At 


After  ascending  for  about  a  mile  and  a  half,  you  are  then  probably 
three  hundred  or  four  hundred  feet  above  the  tide,  and  nothinf^  can 
exceed  the  beauty  of  the  scene  when,  at  one  view,  you  behold  the 
placid  waters  of  both  Trinity  and  Placentia  Bays— the  latter  sprinkled 
with  clusters  of  verdant  islands. 

"  You  can  now  descend  westward  as  gradually  as  you  came  up  from 
the  Telegraph  landing,  to  the  shores  of  Placentia  Bay,  where  there  is  an 
excellent  harbor  and  admirable  fisheries,  skirting  the  shore,  and  the 
accompanying  road  of  the  land  Telegraph  line  leading  from  St.  .John's 
westward  through  the  island,  to  Cape  Raj'.  At  this  season  of  the  year 
game  is  very  abundant.  Reindeer  in  great  numbers,  bears,  wolves — 
others  very  numerous,  the  large  northern  hare,  foxes,  wild  geese, 
ducks,  etc. 

"  About  four  miles  southward  of  the  entrance  of  the  bay  of  Bull's 
Arm,  on  the  shore  of  Placentia  Bay,  is  situated  the  extraordinary  La 
Manche  lead  mine,  the  property  of  the  Telegraph  Company,  already 
yielding  a  rich  supply  of  remarkably  pure  galena.  The  place  where 
the  cable  Is  landed  is  memorable  in  the  history  of  the  island  as  the 
naval  battle-ground  between  the  French  and  English  in  their  early 
struggle  for  the  exclusive  occupancy  of  the  valuable  fisheries  along  the 
coast." 


i 


r 


174        STORV  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

four  A.M.,  delivered  telegraphic  despatch  for  the  Associated 
Press,  to  be  forwarded  to  New  York  as  early  in  the  morning 
as  the  offices  of  the  line  were  opon. 

"At  a  quarter-past  five  a.m.,  telegraph  cable  landed.  At 
six,  end  of  cable  carried  into  telegraph-house,  and  received 
very  strong  currents  of  electricity  through  the  whole  cable 
from  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic.  Captain  Hudson,  of  the 
Niagara,  then  read  prayers,  and  made  some  remarks. 

"  At  one  P.M.,  Her  Majesty's  steamer  Gorgon  fired  a  royal 
salute  of  twenty-one  guns." 

Thus  simply  was  the  story  told,  that  in  a  few  hours 
was  to  send  a  thrill  throughout  the  continent. 

To  complete  the  narrative  of  the  expedition,  it  is 
necessary  to  include  the  voyage  of  the  Agamemnon, 
the  best  account  of  which  is  given  in  the  letter  of  the 
correspondent  of  the  London  Times.  We  quote  from 
the  time  of  junction  in  mid  ocean,  just  as  the  ships 
went  sailing  eastward  and  westward : 

"  For  the  fii-st  three  houra  the  ships  proceeded  very 
slowly,  paying  out  a  great  quantity  of  slack,  but  after  the 
expiration  of  this  time,  the  speed  of  the  Agamemnon  was 
increased  to  about  five  knots  i^er  hour,  the  cable  going  at 
about  six,  without  indicating  more  than  a  few  hundred 
pounds  of  strain  upon  the  dynamometer.  Shortly  after  six 
o'clock  a  very  large  whale  was  seen  approaching  the  star- 
board bow  at  a  great  speed,  rolling  and  tossing  the  sea  into 
foam  all  around,  and  for  the  first  time  we  felt  the  possibility 
of  the  supposition  that  our  second  mysterious  breakage  of 
the  cable  might  have  been  caused  after  all  by  one  of  these 
animals  getting  foul  of  it  under  water.     It  appeared  as  if  it 


SEf'OXn  EXPEDITION  SLX'CESSFUL. 


1T6 


were  making  direct  for  tlio  cable,  niitl  great  was  the  relief  of 
all  when  the  ponderous  living  mass  was  seen  slowly  to  pass 
astern,  just  grazing  the  cable  where  it  entei-ed  the  water, 
but  fortunately  without  doing  any  niiscliief. 

'"All  seemed  to  go  well  up  to  about  eight  o'clock;  the 
cable  paid  out  fronj  the  hold  with  an  evenness  and  regular- 
ity which  showed  how  carefully  and  i)erfectly  it  luul  been 
coiled  away;  and  to  guard  against  accidents  which  might 
arise  in  consequence  of  the  cable  having  suffered  injury 
during  the  storm,  the  indicated  strain  upon  the  dynamome- 
ter was  never  allowed  to  go  beyond  seventeen  hundred 
pounds,  or  less  thun  one  quarter  what  the  cable  is  estimated 
to  bear,  and  thus  far  every  thing  looked  promising  of  suc- 
cess. But,  in  such  a  hazardous  work,  no  one  knows  what  a 
few  minutes  may  bring  forth,  for  soon  after  eight,  an  in- 
jured portion  of  the  cable  was  discovered  about  a  mile  or 
two  from  the  jjortion  paying  out.  Not  a  moment  was  lost 
by  Mr.  Canning,  the  engineer  on  duty,  in  .setting  men  to 
work  to  cobble  up  the  injury  as  well  as  time  would  permit, 
for  the  cable  was  going  out  at  such  a  rate  that  the  damaged 
portion  would  be  paid  overboard  in  less  than  twenty  min- 
utes, and  former  experience  had  shown  us  that  to  check 
either  the  speed  of  the  shij),  or  the  cable,  would,  in  all  proba- 
bility, be  attended  by  the  most  fatal  results. 

"Just  before  the  laj)ping  was  tinislied.  Professor  Thom- 
son reported  that  the  electrical  continuity  of  the  wire  had 
ceased,  but  that  the  insulation  was  still  perfect;  attention 
was  naturally  directed  to  the  injured  piece  as  the  probable 
source  of  the  stoppage,  and  not  a  moment  was  lost  in  cut- 
ting the  cable  at  that  point,  with  the  intention  of  making  a 
perfect  splice.  To  the  consternation  of  all,  the  electrical 
tests  applied  showed  the  fault  to  be  overboai-d,  and  in  all 


1    . 


176        STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

probability  some  fifty  miles  from  the  ship.  Not  a  second 
was  to  be  lost,  for  it  was  evident  that  the  cut  portion  must 
be  paid  overboard  in  a  few  minutes,  and  in  the  mean  time, 
the  tedious  and  ditlicult  operation  of  making  a  splice  had  to 
be  performed.  The  ship  was  immediately  stopped,  and  no 
more  cable  paid  out  than  was  absolutely  necessary  to  pre- 
vent it  breaking. 

"As  the  stern  of  the  ship  was  lifted  by  the  waves,  a  scene 
of  the  most  intense  excitement  followed.  It  seemed  impos- 
sible, even  by  using  the  greatest  possible  speed,  and  paying 
out  the  least  possible  amount  of  cable,  that  the  junction 
could  be  finished  before  the  part  was  taken  out  of  the  hands 
of  the  workmen.  The  main  hold  presented  an  extraordinary 
scene;  nearly  all  the  officers  of  the  ship  and  of  those  con- 
nected with  the  expedition,  stood  in  groups  about  the  coil, 
watching  with  intense  anxiety  the  cable,  as  it  slowly  un- 
wound itself  nearer  and  nearer  the  joint,  while  the  work- 
men, directed  by  Mr.  Canning,  under  whose  superintend- 
ence the  cable  was  originally  manufactured,  worked  at  the 
splice  as  only  men  could  work  who  felt  that  the  life  and 
death  of  the  expedition  depended  upon  their  rapidity.  But 
all  their  speed  was  to  no  purpose,  as  the  cable  was  unwind- 
ing within  a  hundred  fathoms,  and,  as  a  last  and  desper- 
ate resource,  the  cable  was  stopped  altogether,  and,  for  a 
few  minutes,  the  ship  hung  on  by  the  end.  Fortunately, 
however,  it  was  only  for  a  few  minutes,  as  the  strain  was 
continually  rising  above  two  tons,  and  it  would  not  hold  on 
much  longer;  when  the  splice  was  finished,  the  signal  was 
made  to  loose  the  stopper,  and  it  passed  overboard  safely 
enough. 

"  When  the  excitement  consequent  upon  having  so  nar- 
rowly saved  the  cable  had  passed  away,  we  awoke  to  the 


SKC'OND  EXPEniTION  SUCCESSFUL. 


177 


consciousnoss  that  the  case  was  still  as  hopoloss  as  over,  for 
the  electrical  continuity  was  still  entirely  wanting'.  Pre|)a- 
rations  were  consequently  made  to  pay  out  as  little  rope  as 
possible,  and  to  hold  on  for  six  hours,  in  the  hopes  that  the 
fault,  whatever  it  nii^jfht  be,  niijfht  nicnd  it.self  before  cut- 
ting the  cable  and  returning  to  the  rendezvous  to  make 
another  splice.  The  magnetic  needles  on  the  rectsiving  in- 
struments were  watched  closely  for  the  returning  signals  ; 
when,  in  a  few  minutes,  the  last  hope  was  extinguished  by 
their  suddenly  indicating  dead  earth,  which  tended  to  show 
that  the  cable  had  broken  from  the  Niagara,  or  that  the  Iti- 
sulation  had  l)een  completely  destroyed. 

"In  three  minutes,  however,  every  one  was  agreeably 
surprised  by  tiie  int(!lligence  that  the  stoppage  had  disap- 
peared, and  that  the  signals  Jiad  again  appeared  at  their  reg- 
ular intei'vals  from  the  Niagara.  It  is  needless  to  say  what  a 
load  of  anxiety  this  news  removed  from  the  minds  of  every 
one;  ])nt  tiie  general  confidence  in  the  iiltimate  success  of 
the  o])erations  was  much  shaken  bj-  the  occurrence,  for  ail 
felt  that  every  minute  a  similar  accident  might  occur.  For 
some  time  the  jjaying-out  continued  as  usual,  but  t()ward 
the  morning  another  damaged  place  was  discovered  in  the 
cable  ;  there  was  fortunately,  however,  lime  to  repair  it  in 
the  hold  without  in  any  way  interfering  with  the  operations 
beyond  for  a  time  slightly  reducing  the  speed  of  the  sliij). 

"  During  the  morning  of  Friday,  the  thirtieth,  every 
thing  went  well  ;  the  ship  had  been  kept  at  the  speed  of 
about  five  knots,  the  cable  paid  out  at  about  six,  the  average 
angle  witli  the  horizon  at  which  it  left  the  ship  being  i  bout 
fifteen  degrees,  while  the  indicated  strain  upon  the  dyna- 
mometer seldom  showed  more  than  sixteen  hundred  pounds 
to  seventeen  hundred  pounds.  Observations  made  at  noon 
12 


178    STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


' 


showed  that  we  had  made  good  ninety  miles  from  the  start- 
ing-point since  the  previous  day,  with  an  expenditure,  in- 
cluding the  loss  in  lowering  the  splice  and  during  the  subse- 
quent stoppages,  of  one  liundred  and  thirty- live  miles  of  the 
cable.  During  the  latter  portion  of  the  day  the  barometer 
fell  considerably,  and  toward  the  evening  it  blew  almost  a 
gale  of  wind  from  the  eastward,  dead  ahead  of  course.  As 
the  breeze  freshened,  the  si)eed  of  the  engines  was  gradually 
increased,  but  the  wind  more  than  increased  in  proportion, 
so  that,  before  the  sun  went  down,  the  Agamemnon  was 
going  full  steam  against  the  wind,  only  making  a  speed  of 
about  four  knots  an  hour.  During  the  evening  topmasts 
were  lowered,  and  spars,  yards,  sails,  and  indeed  every 
thing  aloft  that  could  offer  resistance  to  the  wind,  was  sent 
down  on  deck  ;  but  still  the  ship  made  but  little  way,  chiefly 
in  consequence  of  the  heavv  sea,  though  the  enormous  quan- 
tity of  fuel  consumed  showed  us  that,  if  the  wind  lasted,  we 
should  be  reduced  to  burning  the  masts,  spars,  and  even  the 
decks,  to  bring  the  ship  into  Valentia. 

"It  seemed  to  be  our  particular  ill-fortune  to  meet  with 
head-winds  \v'hichever  way  the  ship's  head  was  turned.  On 
our  journey  out  we  had  been  delayed,  and  obliged  to  con- 
sume an  undue  proportion  of  coal,  for  want  of  an  easterly 
wind,  and  now  all  our  fuel  was  wanted  l>ecause  of  one. 
However,  during  the  next  day  the  wind  gradually  went 
around  to  the  south-west,  which,  tliough  it  raised  a  very 
heavy  sea,  allowed  us  to  husband  our  small  remaining  store 
of  fuel. 

"  At  noon  on  Satm-day,  the  thirty-first  of  July,  observa- 
tions showed  us  to  have  made  good  one  hundred  and  twenty 
miles  of  distance  since  noon  of  the  previous  day,  with  a  loss 
of  about  twenty-seven  per  cent  of  cable.     The  Niagara,  as 


SECOND  EXPEDITION  SUCCESSFUL. 


179 


far  as  could  be  judged  from  the  amount  of  cable  she  paid 
out,  whicli,  by  a  previous  arrangement,  was  signalled  at 
every  ten  miles,  kept  pace  with  us,  within  one  or  two  miles, 
the  whole  distance  across.  During  the  afternoon  of  Saturday, 
the  wind  again  freshened  up,  and  before  nightfall  it  again 
blew  nearly  a  gale  of  wind,  and  a  tremendous  sea  ran  before 
it  from  the  south-west,  which  made  the  Agamemnon  pitch 
to  such  an  extent  that  it  was  thought  impossible  the  cable 
could  hold  on  through  the  night  ;  indeed,  had  it  not  been 
for  the  constant  care  and  watchfulness  exercised  by  Mr. 
Bright,  and  the  two  energetic  engineers,  Mr.  Canning  and 
Mr.  Clifford,  who  acted  with  him,  it  could  not  have  been 
done  at  all.  Men  were  kept  at  the  wheels  of  the  machine 
to  prevent  their  stopping  as  the  stern  of  the  .ship  rose  and 
fell  with  the  sea,  for,  had  they  done  so,  the  cable  nmst 
undoubtedly  have  parted. 

"  During  Sunday  the  sea  and  wind  increased,  and  before 
the  evening  it  blew  a  smart  gale.  Now,  indeed,  were  the 
energy  and  activity  of  all  engaged  in  the  operation  tasked  to 
the  utmost.  Mr.  Hoar  and  Mr.  Moore,  the  two  engineers 
who  had  the  charge  of  the  relieving-wheels  of  the  dynamom- 
eter, had  to  keep  watch  and  watch  alternately  every  four 
houi-s,  and  while  on  duty  durst  not  let  their  attention  be 
removed  from  their  occupation  for  one  moment,  for  on  their 
releasing  the  brakes  every  time  the  .stern  of  the  ship  fell  into 
the  trough  of  the  sea  entirely  dopeiulcd  the  safety  of  the 
cable,  and  the  result  shows  how  ably  they  discliarged  their 
duty.  Throughout  the  night,  there  were  few  wlio  had  tlie 
least  expectation  of  the  cable  holding  on  till  morning,  and 
many  remained  awake  listening  for  the  sound  that  all  most 
dreaded  to  hear — namely,  the  gun  which  should  announce 
the  failure  of  all  our  hopes.     But  still  the  cable,  which,  in 


180        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


t   ii,^ 


comparison  with  the  sliip  from  wliicli  it  was  paid  out,  and 
tlie  gigantic  waves  among  which  it  was  delivered,  was  but  a 
mere  thread,  continued  to  hold  on,  only  leaving  a  silvery 
phosphorous  line  upon  the  stupendous  seas  as  they  rolled  on 
toward  the  ship. 

' '  With  Sunday  morning  came  no  improvement  in  the 
weather  ;  still  the  sky  i  jmained  black  and  stormy  to  wind- 
ward, and  the  constant  violent  squalls  of  wind  and  rain 
which  prevailed  during  the  whole  day  served  to  keep  up, 
if  not  to  augment,  the  height  of  the  Avaves.  But  the  cable 
had  gone  through  so  much  during  the  night,  that  our  confi- 
dence in  its  continuing  to  hold  was  much  restored. 

"  At  noon,  observations  shdwed  us  to  have  made  good  one 
hundred  and  thirty  miles  from  noon  of  the  i)revious  day,  and 
about  three  l)undred  and  sixty  from  our  starting-point  in 
mid-ocean.  We  had  passed  by  the  deepest  sounding  of 
twenty-four  liundred  fathoms,  and  over  more  than  half  of 
the  deep  water  generally,  while  tlie  amount  of  cable  still  re- 
maining in  the  ship  was  more  than  sufficient  to  carry  us  to 
the  Irish  coast,  even  supposing  the  continuance  of  the  bad 
weather  should  oblige  us  to  paj'  out  the  same  amount  of 
slack  cable  Ave  had  been  hitherto  wasting.  Thus  far  things 
looked  very  promising  for  our  ultimate  success.  But  former 
experience  showed  us  only  too  plainly  that  we  could  never 
suppose  that  some  accident  might  not  arise  until  the  ends 
had  been  fairly  landed  on  the  opjwsite  shores. 

"  During  Sunday  night  and  Monday  morning  the  weather 
continued  as  boisterous  as  ever,  and  it  was  only  by  the  most 
indefatigable  exertions  of  the  engineer  upon  duty  that  the 
wheels  could  be  i)revented  from  stopping  altogether,  as  the 
vessel  rose  and  fell  with  the  .sea,  and  once  or  twice  they  did 
come  completely  to  a  standstill,  in  spite  of  all  that  could  be 


Hi 


SECOND  EXPEDITION  SUCCESSFUL. 


181 


done  to  keep  them  moving  ;  but  fortunately  they  were  again 
set  in  motion  before  the  stern  of  the  sliip  was  thrown  up  by 
the  succeeding  wave.  No  strain  could  be  placed  upon  the 
cable,  of  course  ;  and  though  the  dynamometer  occcasionally 
registered  seventeen  liundred  pounds  as  the  ship  lifted,  it 
was  oftener  below  one  thousand,  and  was  frequently  nothing, 
the  cable  running  out  as  fast  as  its  own  weight  and  the  speed 
of  the  ship  could  draw  it.  But  even  with  all  these  forces 
acting  unresistedly  upon  it,  the  cable  never  paid  itself  out  at 
a  greater  speed  than  eight  knots  an  hour  at  the  time  the  ship 
was  going  at  the  rate  of  six  knots  and  a  half.  Subsequently, 
however,  when  the  speed  of  the  ship  even  exceeded  six  knots 
and  a  half,  the  cable  never  ran  out  so  quick.  The  average 
speed  maintained  by  the  ship  up  to  this  time,  and,  indeed, 
for  the  whole  voyage,  was  about  five  knots  and  a  half,  the 
cable,  with  occasional  exceptions,  running  about  thirty  per 
cent  faster. 

"At  noon  on  Monday,  August  second,  had  made  good  one 
hundred  and  twenty-seven  and  a  half  miles  since  noon  of 
the  previous  day,  and  completed  more  than  the  half  way  to 
our  ultimate  destination. 

"  Duringthe  afternoon  an  American  three-masted  schooner, 
which  afterward  proved  to  be  the  Chieftain,  was  seen  stand- 
ing from  the  eastward  toward  us.  No  notice  was  taken  of 
her  at  first,  but  Avhen  slie  was  within  about  half  a  mile  of  the 
Agamemnon  she  altered  her  course,  and  bore  right  down 
across  our  bows.  A  collision,  which  might  i)rove  fatal  to  the 
cable,  now  seemed  inevitable,  or  could  only  be  avoided  by 
the  equally  hazardous  expedient  of  altering  the  Agamenmon's 
course.  Tlie  Valorous  steamed  ahead,  and  fired  a  gun  for 
her  to  heave  to,  which,  as  she  did  not  appear  to  take  nmcli 
notice  of,  was  quickly  followed  by  another  from  the  bows 


y 
I  It 


ii. 


183        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


of  the  Agamemnon,  and  a  second  and  tliird  from  the  Val- 
orous, but  still  the  vessel  held  on  her  course  ;  and  as  the 
only  resource  left  to  avoid  a  collision,  the  course  of  the 
Agamemnon  was  altered  just  in  time  to  pass  witliin  a  few- 
yards  of  her.  It  was  evident  tliat  our  proceedings  were  a 
source  of  the  greatest  possible  astonishment  to  tliem,  for  all 
her  crew  crowded  upon  her  deck  and  rigging.  At  length 
they  evidently  discovered  who  we  were,  and  what  we  were 
doing,  for  the  crew  manned  the  rigging,  and  dipping  the 
ensign  several  times  they  gave  us  three  hearty  cheers. 
Though  the  Agamemnon  was  obliged  to  acknowledge  these 
congratulations  in  due  form,  the  feelings  of  annoyance  with 
which  we  regarded  the  vessel  which,  either  by  tlie  stupidity 
or  carelessness  of  those  on  board,  was  so  near  adding  a  fatal 
and  unexpected  mishap  to  the  long  chapter  of  accidents 
which  had  already  been  encountered,  may  easily  be  im- 
agined. To  those  below,  who  of  course  did  not  see  the  ship 
approaching,  the  sound  of  the  first  gun  came  like  a  thunder- 
bolt, for  all  took  it  as  the  signal  of  the  breaking  of  the  cable. 
The  dinner-tables  were  deserted  in  a  monjent,  and  a  general 
rush  made  up  the  hatches  to  the  deck  ;  but  before  reaching 
it,  their  fears  were  quickly  banished  by  the  report  of  the  suc- 
ceeding gun,  which  all  knew  well  could  only  be  caused  by  a 
ship  in  our  way  or  a  man  overboard. 

"  Throughout  the  greater  portion  of  Monday  morning  the 
electrical  signals  from  the  Niagara  had  been  getting  gradu- 
ally weaker,  until  they  ceased  altogethei"  for  nearly  three- 
quarlers  of  an  hour.  Our  uneasiness,  liowever,  was  in  some 
degree  lessened  by  the  fact  that  the  stopi)age  appeared  to  be 
a  want  of  continuity,*  and  not  any  defect  in  insulation, 

*  This  is  an  error,  as  we  learn  on  tlie  high  authority  of  Professor 
Tbomsou  himself.    It  vhxs  defective  insulation,  not  any  "  want  of  con- 


SECOND  EXPEDITION  SUCCESSFUL. 


188 


and  there  was  consequently  every  reason  to  suppose  that  it 
might  arise  from  faulty  connection  on  board  the  Niagara. 
Accordingly  Professor  Thomson  sent  a  message  to  the  etTect 
that  the  signals  were  too  weak  to  be  read,  and,  as  if  they  had 
been  awaiting  such  a  signal  to  increase  their  battery  power, 
the  deflections  immediately  returuedeveu  stronger  than  they 
had  ever  been  before.  Toward  the  evening,  however,  they 
again  declined  in  force  for  a  short  time.  With  the  exception 
of  these  little  stoppages,  the  electrical  condition  of  the  sub- 
merged wire  seemed  to  be  much  improved.  It  was  evident 
that  the  low  temperature  of  the  water  at  the  immense  depth 
improved  considerably  the  insulating  properties  of  the  gutta- 
percha, while  the  enormous  pressure  to  which  it  must  have 
been  subjected  i)robably  tended  to  consolidate  its  texture,  and 
to  fill  up  any  air-bubbles  or  slight  faults  iu  manufacture 
which  may  have  existed. 

"The  weather  during  Monday  night  moderated  a  little, 
but  still  there  was  a  very  heavy  sea  on,  which  endangered 
the  wire  every  second  minute. 

"About  three  o'clock  on  Tuesday  morning,  all  on  board 
were  startled  from  their  beds  by  the  loud  booming  of  a  gun. 
Every  one,  without  waiting  for  the  performance  of  the  most 
particular  toilet,  rushed  on  deck  to  ascertain  the  cause  of  the 
disturbance.  Contrary  to  all  expectation,  the  cable  was  safe, 
but  just  in  the  gray  light  could  be  seen  the  Valorous  rounded 
to  in  the  most  warlike  attitude,  firing  gun  after  gun  in  quick 
succession  toward  a  large  American  bark,  which,  quite  un- 
conscious of  our  proceeding,  was  standing  right  across  our 
stern.     Such  loud  and  repeated  remonsti-ances  from  a  large 


tlnuity,"  that  caused  the  weak  signals.  Want  of  continuity  would  have 
stopped  the  signals  altogether,  and  giVeu  quite  different  indications  oa 
the  testing  instruments  from  those  he  observed. 


184 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPn. 


steam  frigate  were  not  to  be  despised,  and,  evidently  witliout 
knowing  the  why  or  the  wherefore,  she  quickly  threw  her 
sails  aback  and  remained  hove  to.  Whether  those  on  board 
her  considered  that  we  were  engaged  in  some  filibustering 
expedition,  or  regarded  our  proceedings  as  another  British 
outrage  upon  the  American  flag,  it  is  impossible  to  say  ; 
but  certain  it  is  that,  apparently  in  great  trepidation,  she 
remained  hove  to  until  we  had  lost  sight  of  her  in  the 
distance. 

' '  Tuesday  was  a  much  finer  day  than  any  we  had  expe- 
rienced for  nearly  a  week,  but  still  there  was  a  considerable 
sea  running,  and  our  dangers  Avere  far  from  passed  ;  yet  the 
hopes  of  our  ultimate  success  ran  high.  We  had  accomplished 
nearly  the  whole  of  the  deep-sea  portion  of  the  route  in 
safety,  and  that,  too,  under  the  most  unfavorable  circum- 
stances possible  ;  therefore  there  was  every  reason  to  believe 
that  unless  some  unforeseen  accident  should  occur,  we  should 
accomplish  the  remainder. 

' '  About  five  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  steep  submarine 
mountain  which  divides  the  telegraphic  plateau  from  the 
Irish  coast  was  reached,  and  the  sudden  shallowing  of  the 
water  had  a  very  marked  effect  upon  the  cable,  causing  the 
strain  on  and  the  speed  of  it  to  lessen  every  minute.  A  great 
deal  of  slack  Avas  paid  out  to  allow  for  any  great  inequalities 
Avhich  might  exist,  though  undiscovered  by  the  sounding- 
line.  About  ten  o'clock  the  shoal  water  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  fathoms  was  reached  ;  the  only  remaining  anxiety  now 
was  the  changing  from  the  lower  main  coil  to  that  upon  the 
upper  deck,  and  this  most  difficult  and  daugei'ous  operation 
was  successfully  performed  between  three  and  four  o'clock 
on  Wednesday  morning. 

"Wednesday  was  a  beautiful,  calm  day  ;  indeed,  it  was 


>  t 


SECOND  EXPEDITION  SUCCESSFUL. 


185 


the  first  on  which  any  one  would  have  thouglit  of  making  a 
splice  since  tlie  day  we  started  from  the  rendezvous.  We 
therefoi'e  congratulated  ourselves  on  havinj,''  saved  a  week 
by  commencing  operations  on  the  Tliursday  previous.  At 
noon,  we  were  eiglity-nine  miles  distant  from  the  telegraph 
station  at  Valentia.  The  water  was  shallow,  so  that  there 
was  no  dilficulty  in  paying  out  the  wire  almost  without  any 
loss  of  slack,  and  all  looked  upon  the  undertaking  as  vir- 
tually accomplished. 

"At  about  one  o'clock  in  the  evening,  the  second  change 
from  the  upper-deck  coil  to  that  upon  the  orlop-deck  was 
safely  effected,  and  shortly  after  the  vessels  exchanged  sig- 
nals that  they  were  in  two  hundred  fathoms  water.  As  the 
night  advanced  the  speed  of  tlie  ship  was  reduced,  as  it  was 
known  that  we  were  only  a  short  distance  from  the  land, 
and  there  would  be  no  advantage  in  making  it  before  day- 
light in  the  morning.  About  twelve  o'clock,  howevei',  the 
Skelligs  Light  was  seen  in  the  distance,  and  the  Valorous 
steamed  on  ahead  to  lead  us  in  to  the  coast,  firing  rockets  at 
intervals  to  direct  us,  which  were  answered  by  us  from  the 
Agamemnon,  thougli,  according  to  Mr.  Moriarty,  the  mas- 
ter's wish,  the  ship,  disregarding  the  Valorous,  kept  her  own 
course,  which  proved  to  be  the  right  one  in  the  end. 

"  By  daylight  on  the  morning  of  Thursday,  the  bold  and 
rocky  mountains  which  entirely  surround  the  wild  and  pic- 
turesque neighborhood  of  Valentia,  rose  right  before  us  at  a 
few  miles'  distance.  Never,  proba])ly.  was  the  siglit  of  land 
more  welcome,  as  it  brought  to  a  successful  termination  one 
of  the  greatest,  but,  at  the  same  time,  most  difficult  schemes 
which  was  ever  undertaken.  Had  it  been  the  dullest  and 
most  melancholy  swamj)  on  the  face  of  the  earth  that  lay 
before  us,  we  should  have  found  it  a  pleasant  prospect  ;  but, 


'   I 


186        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


as  the  sun  rose  from  the  estuary  of  Dingle  Bay,  tinging 
with  a  deep,  soft  purple  the  lofty  summits  of  the  steep 
mountains  wliicli  surround  its  shores,  and  illuminating  the 
masses  of  morning  vapor  which  hung  upon  them,  it 
was  a  scene  which  might  vie  in  heauty  with  any  thing 
that  could  be  produced  by  the  most  llorid  imagination  of  an 
artist. 

"No  one  on  shore  was  apparently  conscious  of  our  ap- 
proach, so  the  Valorous  steamed  ahead  to  the  mouth  of  the 
harbor  and  fired  a  gun.  Both  ships  made  straight  for 
Doulus  Bay,  and  about  six  o'clock  came  to  anchor  at  the 
side  of  Beginish  Island,  opposite  to  Valentia.  As  soon  as  the 
inhabitants  became  aware  of  oin-  approach,  there  was  a  gen- 
eral desertion  of  the  place,  and  hundreds  of  boats  crowded 
around  us,  their  passengers  in  the  greatest  state  of  excite- 
ment to  hear  all  about  our  voyage.  The  Knight  of  Kerry 
was  absent  in  Dingle,  but  n  messenger  was  inunediately  dis- 
patched for  him,  and  he  soon  arrived  in  Her  Majesty's 
gunboat  Shamrock.  Soon  after  our  arrival,  a  signal  wa.s 
received  from  the  Niagara  that  they  were  preparing  to  land, 
having  paid  out  one  thousand  and  thirty  nautical  miles  of 
cable,  while  the  Agamemnon  had  accomplished  her  portion 
of  the  distance  with  an  expenditure  of  one  thousand  and 
twenty  miles,*  making  the  total  length  of  the  wire  sub- 
merged two  thousand  and  fifty  geographical  miles.  Imme- 
diately after  the  ships  cast  anchor,  the  jjaddle-box  boats  of 
the  Valorous  were  got  ready,  and  tAvo  miles  of  cable  coiled 
away  in  them,  for  the  purpose  of  landing  the  end  ;  but  it 
was  late  in  the  afternoon  before  the  procession  of  boats  left 
the  ship,  under  a  salute  of  three  rounds  of  small-arms  from 

*  The  Niagara  had  sixty  miles  farther  to  run  than  the  Agamemnon,  to 
land  the  cable  at  the  head  of  Trinity  Bay. 


SECOND  EXPEDITION  SUCCESSFUL. 


187 


the  detachment  of  marines  on  board  tlie  Agamemnon,  under 
the  command  of  Lieutenant  Morris. 

"  Tlie  progress  of  the  end  to  the  shore  was  very  slow,  in 
consequence  of  tlio  very  stitf  wind  whicli  blew  at  the  time, 
but  at  about  three  o'clock  the  end  was  safely  brought  on 
shore  at  Knigthstown,  Valentia,  by  Mr.  Bright  and  Mr. 
Canning,  the  chief  and  second  engineers,  to  whose  exertions 
the  success  of  the  undertaking  is  attributable,  and  the 
Knight  of  Kerry.*  The  end  w.-is  immediately  laid  in  the 
trench  which  had  been  dug  to  receive  it,  Avhile  a  royal 
salute,  making  the  neighboring  rocks  and  mountains  rever- 
berate, announced  that  the  communication  between  the  Old 
and  the  New  World  had  been  completed." 

■*  A  name  that  occurs  several  times  in  this  history,  and  one  never  to 
be  mentioned  but  with  honor.  The  Knight  of  Kerry  was  Lord  of  the 
Isles  on  that  part  of  the  Irish  coast ;  and  from  the  beginning  showed 
the  deepest  interest  in  this  enterprise  ;  and  by  his  generous  hospitality  to 
all  connected  with  it  made  many  friends  by  whom  he  was  gratefully 
remembered  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 


il 


i 


i' 


CHAPTER  XI. 


EXCITEMENT   IN   AMERICA. 


Whoever  shall  write  the  history  of  popular  enthu- 
siasms, must  jjive  a  large  space  to  the  Atlantic  TelC' 
graph.  Never  did  the  tidings  of  any  great  achieve- 
ment— whether  in  peace  or  war — more  truly  electrify 
a  nation.  No  doubt,  the  impression  was  the  greater 
because  it  took  the  country  by  surprise.  Had  the 
attempt  succeeded  in  June,  it  would  have  found  a 
people  prepared  for  it.  But  the  failure  of  the  first  ex- 
pedition, added  to  that  of  the  previous  year,  settled  the 
fate  of  the  enterprise  in  the  minds  of  the  public.  It 
was  a  hopeless  undertaking  ;  and  its  projectors  shared 
the  usual  lot  of  those  who  conceive  vast  designs,  and 
venture  on  great  enterprises,  which  are  not  successful, 
to  be  regarded  with  a  mixture  of  derision  and  pity. 

Such  was  the  temper  of  the  public  mind,  when  at 
noon  of  Thursday,  the  fifth  of  August,  the  following 
despatch  was  received : 

"United  States  Frigate  Niagara, 
Trinity  Bay,  New  poundland,  August  5,  1858. 

"  To  the  Associated  Press,  Neiii  York : 

"The  Atlantic  Telef^raph  fleet  sailed  from  Queenstown, 
Ireland,  Satarday,  July  seventeenth,  and  met  in  mid-ocean 


a 


EXCITEMENT   IN   AMKRICA. 


189 


Wednesday,  July  twonty-oiglith.  Made  tlie  splice  at  one 
P.M.,  Thursday,  the  twenty-ninth,  and  separated— the  Aija- 
niemnon  and  Valorous,  bound  to  Valojitia,  Ireland  ;  the 
Niagara  and  Gorgon,  for  this  place,  where  they  arrived 
yesterday,  and  this  morning  the  end  of  the  cable  will  be 
landed. 

"  It  is  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  ninety-six  nautical, 
or  one  thousand  nine  hundred  and  fifty  statute,  miles  from 
the  Telegraj)h  House  at  the  head  of  Valentia  harbor  to  the 
Telegraph  House  at  the  Bay  of  Bulls,  Trinity  Bay,  and  for 
more  than  two  thirds  of  this  distance  the  water  is  over  two 
miles  in  depth.  The  cable  has  been  paid  out  fwm  the  A<ra- 
memnon  at  about  the  same  speed  as  from  the  Niagara.  The 
electric  signals  sent  and  received  through  the  whole  cable  are 
perfect. 

"The  machinery  for  ])aying  out  the  cable  worked  in  the 
most  satisfactory  manner,  and  was  not  stopped  for  a  single 
moment  from  the  time  the  splice  was  made  until  we  arrived 
here. 

"Captain  Hudson,  Messrs.  Everett  and  Wo(Mlhou.se,  the 
engineers,  the  electricians,  the  officers  of  the  ship,  and  in 
fact,  every  man  on  board  the  telegraph  fleet,  has  exerted 
himself  to  the  utmost  to  make  the  expedition  successful,  and 
by  the  blessing  of  Divine  Providence  it  has  succeeded. 

"After  tlie  end  of  the  cable  is  landed  and  connected  with  the 
land  line  of  telegraph,  and  the  Niagara  has  discharged  some 
cargo  belonging  to  the  Telegraph  Company,  she  will  go  to 
St,  John's  for  coal,  and  then  proceed  at  once  to  New  York. 

"Cyrus  W.  Field." 


The  impression  of  this  simple  announcmcnt  it  is  im- 
possible to  conceive.     It  was  immediately  telegraphed 


190 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


u 


to  all  parts  of  the  United  States,  and  everywhere  pro- 
duced the  greatest  excitement.  In  some  places  all  busi- 
ness was  suspended  ;  men  rushed  into  the  streets,  and 
flocked  to  the  olHces  where  tiie  news  was  received. 
At  Andover,  Massachusetts,  the  news  arrived  while  tiie 
Alumni  of  the  Theological  Seminary  were  celebrating 
their  semi-centennial  anniversary  by  a  dinner.  One 
thousand  persons  were  present,  all  of  whom  rose  to 
their  feet,  and  gave  vent  to  their  excited  feelings  by 
continued  and  enthusiastic  cheers.  When  quiet  was 
restored.  Rev.  Dr.  Adams,  of  New  York,  said  his  heart 
was  too  full  for  a  speech,  and  suggested,  as  the  more 
fitting  utterance  of  what  all  felt,  that  they  should  join 
in  thanksgiving  to  Almighty  God,  and  the  venerable 
Dr.  Ilawes,  of  Hartford,  led  them  in  fervent  prayer, 
acknowledging  the  great  event  as  from  the  hand  of 
God,  and  as  calculated  to  hasten  the  triumphs  of  civil- 
ization and  Christianity.  Then  all  standing  up  to- 
gether, sang,  to  the  tune  of  Old  Hundred,  the  majestic 
doxology : 

' '  Praise  God,  from  whom  all  blessings  flow, 
Praise  Him  all  creatures  here  below  ; 
Praise  Him  above,  ye  heavenly  host, 
Praise  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost !  " 

Thus — said  Dr.  Ilawes — "  we  have  now  consecrated 
this  new  power,  so  far  as  our  agency  is  concerned,  to 
the  building  up  of  the  truth." 
In  New  York  the  news  was  received  at  first  with 


I 


EXCITEMKNT   IN   AMERICA. 


191 


some  incrodulity.  Jiut  us  it  wus  confirmed  by  subso- 
quont  (lespiitchos,  the  city  broke  out  into  tumultuous 
rejoicing.  Never  was  tliere  such  un  outburst  of  popu- 
lar feeling.  In  I'oston  a  hundred  guns  were  iired  on 
the  Common,  and  the  bells  of  the  city  were  rung  for 
an  hour  to  give  utterance  to  the  general  joy.  Similar 
scenes  were  witnessed  in  all  parts  of  the  United  States. 
I  have  now  before  me  the  Now  York  papei-s  of  Au- 
gust, 1.S58,  and  from  the  memorable  fifth,  when  tho 
hinding  took  place,  to  the  end  of  tho  month,  they  con- 
tain hanlly  any  thing  else  than  popular  demonstrations 
in  honor  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph.  It  was  indeed  a 
national  jubilee. 

It  was  natural  that  this  overflow  of  public  feeling 
should  express  itself  towards  one  who  was  recognized 
as  tho  author  of  the  great  work,  which  inspired  such 
universal  joy.  ]\Ir.  Field,  much  to  his  own  sui-priso, 
"  awoke  and  found  himself  famous."  In  twenty -four 
houre  his  name  was  on  millions  of  tongues.  Congratu- 
lations poured  in  from  all  quarters,  from  mayore  of 
cities  and  governors  of  States;  from  all  parts  of  the 
Union  and  the  British  Provinces ;  from  tho  President 
of  the  United  States  and  tho  Govenior-CTonoral  of 
Canada.  Mr.  Buchanan  telegraphed  to  Mr.  Field,  at 
Trinity  Bay : 

*'  My  Dear  Sm:  I  conffratulate  you  with  all  my  heart  on 
the  success  of  the  great  enterprise  with  which  your  name 
is  so  honorably  connected.     Under  the  blessing  of  Divine 


J^l 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


) 


\. 


Providence  I  trust  it  may  prove  instrumental  in  promoting' 
perpetual  peace  and  friendsiiip  between  the  kindred  na- 
tions." 

— ^he  popular  estimate  of  the  achievement  and  its 
author  went  still  fartlier.  "With  the  natural  exaggera- 
tion common  to  masses  of  men,  when  carried  away  by 
a  sudden  enthusiasm,  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  was 
hailed  as  an  immense  stride  i  *  the  onward  progress  of 
the  race,  an  event  in  the  history  of  the  world  hardly 
inferior  to  the  discovery  of  America,  or  to  the  inven- 
tion of  the  art  of  printing ;  and  the  name  of  its  pro- 
jector was  coupled  with  those  of  Franklin  and  Colum- 
bus. He  who  but  yesterday  was  regarded  as  a 
visionarv,  to-dav  was  exalted  as  a  benefactor  of  his 
country  and  of  mankind. 

This  avalanche  of  praise  was  quite  overwhelming. 
It  is  always  embarrassing  to  be  forced  into  sudden 
conspicuity,  and  to  find  one's  self  the  object  of  general 
attention  and  applause.  While  feeling  this  embarrass- 
ment, Mr.  Field  could  not  but  be  gratified  to  Avitness 
the  public  joy  at  the  success  of  the  enterprise,  and  he 
Avas  deeply  touched  and  grateful  for  the  appreciation 
of  his  own  services.  But  probably  all  these  ])ublic 
demonstrations  did  not  go  to  his  heart  so  much  as 
private  letters  received  from  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic,  from  those  who  had  shared  the  labors  of  the 
enterprise — old  companions  in  arms  who  had  borne 
with  him  the  heavy  burden,  and  now  were  fully  en- 


,  t 


EXCITEMENT  IN  AMERICA. 


193 


titled  to  a  share  in  the  honor  which  was  the  reward  of 
their  common  toil. 

As  a  specimen  of  the  congratulations  which  came 
from  beyond  the  sea,  we  quote  a  single  passage  from  a 
letter  of  Mr.  George  Saward,  the  Secretary  of  the 
Company  in  London,  written  immediately  on  receiving 
the  news  of  the  success  of  the  enterprise.  Under  the 
impression  of  that  event,  he  writes  to  Mr.  Field  : 


:li 


"  At  last  the  great  work  is  successful.  I  rejoice  at  it  for 
the  sake  of  humanity  at  large.  I  rejoice  at  it  for  the  sake 
of  our  common  nationalities,  and  last  but  not  least,  for  your 
pei*sonal  sake.  I  most  heartily  and  sincerely  rejoice  with 
you,  and  congratulate  you,  upon  this  happy  termination  to 
the  trouble  and  anxiety,  the  continuous  and  persevering 
labor,  and  never-ceasing  and  sleepless  energy,  which  the 
successful  accomplishment  of  this  vast  and  noble  enterprise 
has  cost  you.  Never  was  man  more  devoted — never  did 
man's  energy  better  deserve  success  than  vours  has  done. 
May  you  in  the  bosom  of  your  family  reaj)  those  rewards  of 
repose  and  affection,  which  will  be  doubly  sweet  from  the 
reflection,  that  you  return  to  them  after  having  been  under 
Providence  the  main  and  leading  principal  in  conferring  a 
vast  and  enduring  benefit  on  mankind.  If  the  contempla- 
tion of  fame  has  a  charm  for  you,  you  may  well  indulge  in 
the  reflection;  for  the  name  of  Cyrus  W.  Field  will  now  go 
onward  to  imnio'-tality,  as  long  as  that  of  the  Atlantic  Tele- 
graph shall  be  known  to  mankind." 


vk 


m  '1 


The  Directors,  whose  faith  and  courage  had  been  so 
severely  tried,  now  felt  double  joy,  for  their  friend 
13 


i^       M 


194        STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


f  'iif 


and  for  themselves,  at  this  glorious  result  of  their 
united  labors.  Mr,  Peabody  wrote  to  Mr.  Field  that 
"his  reflections  must  be  like  those  of  Columbus,  after 
the  discovery  of  America."  Sir  Charles  Wood  and  Sir 
Jolm  Pakington,  who,  as  successive  First  Lords  of  the 
Admiralty,  had  supported  the  enterprise  with  the  con- 
stant aid  of  the  British  Government,  Avrote  letters  of 
congratulation  on  the  great  work  which  had  been  car- 
ried through  mainly  by  his  energy  and  unconquerable 
will.  They  were  above  any  petty  national  jealousy, 
and  never  imagined  that  it  would  detract  aught  from 
the  just  honor  of  England,  to  award  full  praise  to  the 
courage  and  enterprise  of  an  American. 

On  his  part,  Mr.  Field  Avas  equally  anxious  to  ac- 
knowledge the  invaluable  aid  given  by  others — aid, 
without  which  the  efforts  of  no  single  individual  could 
command  success.  On  his  arrival  at  St.  John's,  he 
was  welcomed  with  enthusiasm  by  the  whole  popula- 
tion. An  address  was  presented  to  him  by  the  Execu- 
tive Council  of  Newfoundland,  in  which  they  offered 
their  hearty  congratulations  on  the  success  of  the 
undertaking,  which  they  recognized  as  chiefly  due  to 
him.  "  Intimately  acquainted  as  we  have  been  " — 
these  are  their  words — ''  with  the  energy  and  enter- 
prise which  have  distinguished  you  from  the  com- 
mencement of  the  great  work  of  telegraph  connection 
between  the  Old  and  the  New  "Worlds ;  and  feeling 
that  under  Providence  this  triumph  of  science  is  main- 


s 


I 


■^ 


EXCITEMENT  IN  AMERICA. 


195 


ly  due  to  your  well-directed  and  indomitable  exertions, 
we  desire  to  express  to  you  our  high  appreciation  of 
your  success  in  the  cause  of  the  world's  progress,"  etc. ; 
to  which  Mr.  Field  replied,  recognizing  in  turn  the 
cordial  support  which  he  had  always  received  from 
the  Government  of  Newfoundland.  The  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  St.  John's  also  presented  an  address  in 
similar  terms,  to  which  he  replied — after  acknowl- 
edging  their  kind  mention  of  his  own  labors  and 
sacrifices  : 

"  But  it  would  not  only  be  ungenerous,  but  unjust,  that  I 
should  for  a  moment  forget  the  services  of  those  who  were 
my  co-workers  in  this  enterprise,  and  without  whom  any 
labors  of  mine  would  have  been  unavailing.  It  would  be 
difficult  to  enumerate  the  many  gentlemen  whose  scientific 
acquirements  and  skill  and  energy  have  been  devoted  to  the 
advancement  of  this  w^ork,  and  who  have  so  mainly  pro- 
duced the  issue  which  has  called  forth  this  expression  of 
your  good  wishes  on  my  behalf.  But  I  could  not  do  justice 
to  my  own  feelings  did  I  fail  to  acknowledge  how  much  is 
owing  to  Captain  Hudson  and  the  officers  of  the  Niagara, 
whose  hearts  were  in  the  work,  and  whose  toil  was  unceas- 
ing ;  to  Captain  Dayman  of  her  Majesty's  ship  Gorgon,  for 
the  soundings  so  accurately  made  by  him  last  year,  and  for 
the  perfect  manner  in  which  he  led  the  Niagara  over  the 
great-circle  arc  while  laying  the  cable ;  to  Captain  Otter,  of 
the  Porcupine,  for  the  careful  survey  made  by  him  in  Trin- 
ity Bay,  and  for  the  admirable  manner  in  which  he  piloted 
the  Niagara  at  night  to  her  anchorage ;  to  Mr.  Everett,  who 
has  for  months  devoted  his  whole  time  to  designing  and 


■i 


11    "1 


196        STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC   TELEGRAPH. 


perfecting  the  beautiful  machinery  that  has  so  successfully 
paid  out  the  cable  from  the  ships — machinery  so  perfect  in 
every  respect,  that  it  was  not  for  one  moment  stopped  on 
bojird  the  Niagara  until  slie  readied  lier  destination  in  Trin- 
ity Bay ;  to  Mr.  Woodliouse,  who  superintended  tlie  coiling 
of  the  cable,  and  zealously  and  ably  cooperated  witli  his 
brother  engineer  during  the  progress  of  paying-out ;  to  the 
electricians  for  their  constant  watchfulness  ;  to  the  men  for 
their  almost  ceaseles.^  labor  (and  I  feel  confident  that  you 
will  have  a  good  report  from  the  commanders,  engineers, 
electricians,  on  board  tlie  Agamemnon  and  Valorous,  the 
Irish  portion  of  the  fleet) ;  to  the  Directors  of  tlie  Atlantic 
Telegraph  Company  for  the  time  they  have  devoted  to  the 
undertaking  without  receiving  any  compensation  for  their 
services  (and  it  must  be  a  pleasure  to  many  of  you  to  know 
that  the  director,  who  has  devoted  more  time  than  any 
other,  was  for  many  years  a  resident  of  this  place,  and  well 
known  to  all  of  you — I  allude  to  Mr.  Brooking,  of  Lon- 
don) ;  to  Mr.  C.  M.  Lampson,  a  native  of  New  England,  but 
who  has  for  the  last  twent3'-seven  years  resided  in  London, 
who  appreciated  the  great  importance  of  this  enterprise  to 
both  countries,  and  gave  it  most  valuable  aid,  bringing  his 
sound  judgment  and  great  business  talent  to  the  service  of 
the  Company;  to  that  distinguished  American,  Mr.  Georg 
Peabody,  and  his  worthy  pai-tner,  Mr.  Morgan,  who  not 
only  assisted  it  most  liberally  with  their  mean,s,  but  to 
wliom  I  could  always  go  with  confidence  for  advice." 

Such  acknowled<^ments,  constantly  repeated,  showed 
a  mind  incapable  of  envy  or  jealous}' ;  that  was  chiefly 
anxious  to  recognize  the  services  of  others,  and  that 
they  should  receive  from  the  public,  both  of  England 


I 


EXCI'^F.MENT  IN  AMERICA. 


197 


and  America,  the  honors   which  they  had  so  nobly 
earned. 

After  two  or  three  days'  delay  at  St.  John's,  which 
the  Niagara  was  obliged  to  make  for  coal,  but  which 
the  people  spent  in  festivity  antl  rejoicing,  she  left 
for  New  York,  where  she  arrived  on  the  eighteenth — • 
two  weeks  from  the  landing  of  the  cable  in  Trinity 
Bay.  These  had  been  weeks  of  great  excitement,  yet 
not  unmingled  with  suspense  and  anxiety.  The  pul)- 
lic,  eager  for  news,  devoured  every  thing  that  con- 
cerned the  telegraph  with  impatience,  but  all  was  not 
satisfactory.  Despatches  from  Trinity  Bay  said  that 
signals  Avere  continually  passing  over  the  cable,  yet 
no  news  reached  the  public  from  the  other  side  of  the 
Atlantic.  This  was  partialW  explained  by  a  message 
from  Mr.  Field,  sent  from  Trinity  Bay  to  the  Asso- 
ciated Press  as  early  as  the  seventh  : 

' '  We  landed  here  in  the  woods,  and  until  the  telegraph 
instruments  are  perfectly  adjusted,  no  communications  can 
pass  hetween  the  two  continents  ;  but  the  electric  currents 
are  received  freely. 

"  You  shall  have  the  earliest  intimation  when  all  is  ready, 
but  it  may  be  some  days  before  every  thing  is  i)erfected. 
The  first  through  message  })etween  Eurt)pe  and  America  will 
be  frcmi  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain  to  the  President  of  the 
United  States,  and  the  second  his  reply." 

But  as  the  public  grew  impatient,  and  friends  sent 
anxious  inquiring  messages,  he  telegraphed  again  from 
St.  John's  on  the  eleventh  : 


198        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

"Before  I  left  London,  the  Directors  of  the  Atlantic 
Telegraph  Company  decided  unanimously  that,  after  the 
cable  Avas  laid,  and  the  Queen's  and  President's  messages 
transmitted,  the  line  should  be  kept  for  several  weeks  for  the 
sole  use  of  Dr.  Whitehouse,  Professor  Thomson,  and  other 
electricians,  to  enable  them  to  test  thoroughly  their  several 
modes  of  telegraphing,  so  that  the  Directors  might  decide 
which  was  the  best  and  most  rapid  method  for  future  use  ; 
for  it  was  considered  that  after  the  line  should  be  once 
thrown  open  for  business,  it  would  be  very  difficult  to  obtain 
it  for  experimental  purposes,  even  for  a  short  time. 

' '  Due  notice  will  be  given  when  the  line  will  be  ready 
for  business,  and  the  tariff  of  prices." 

Still  the  public  were  not  satisfied,  and  many  were 
beginning  to  doubt,  when,  on  the  sixteenth,  it  was 
suddenly  announced  that  the  Queen's  message  was  re- 
ceived.   It  was  as  follows : — 

"  To  the  President  of  the  United  States,  Washington: 

' '  The  Queen  desires  to  congratulate  the  President  upon 
the  successful  completion  of  this  great  international  work, 
in  which  the  Queen  has  taken  the  deepest  interest. 

"  Tlie  Queen  is  convinced  that  the  President  will  join  with 
her  in  fervently  hoping  that  the  electric  cable  which  now 
connects  Great  Britain  with  the  United  States  will  prove  an 
additional  link  between  the  nations,  whose  friendship  is 
founded  upon  their  common  interest  and  reciprocal  esteem. 

' '  The  Queen  has  much  pleasure  in  thus  communicating 
with  the  President,  and  renewing  to  him  her  wishes  for  the 
prosperity  of  the  United  States." 

;     ^yiii  the  President  replied : 


EXCITEMENT  IN  AMERICA. 


109 


"Washington  City,  August  16,  1858. 
"  To  Her  Majesty  Victoria,  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain  : 

"  The  President  cordially  reciprocates  the  congratulations 
of  her  Majesty  the  Queen,  on  tlie  success  of  the  great  inter- 
national enterprise  accomplished  by  the  science,  skill,  and 
indomitable  energy  of  the  two  countries. 

"It  is  a  triumph  more  glorious,  because  far  more  useful 
to  mankind,  than  was  ever  won  by  conqueror  on  the  field 
of  battle. 

"May  the  Atlantic  Telegraph,  under  the  blessing  of 
Heaven,  prove  to  be  a  bond  of  perpetual  peace  and  friend- 
ship between  the  kindred  nations,  and  an  instrument  des- 
tined by  Divine  Providence  to  diffuse  religion,  civilization, 
liberty,  and  law  throughout  the  world. 

"In  this  view,  will  not  all  nations  of  Christendom  spon- 
taneously unite  in  the  declaration  that  it  shall  be  for  ever 
neutral,  and  that  its  communications  shall  be  held  sacred 
in  passing  to  their  places  of  destination,  even  in  the  midst 

of  hostilities  ? 

"James  Buchanan." 


The  arrival  of  the  Queen's  message  was  the  signal 
for  a  fresh  outbreak  of  popular  enthusiasm.  The  next 
morning,  August  seventeenth,  the  city  of  New  York 
was  awakened  by  the  thunder  of  artillery.  A  hun- 
dred guns  were  fired  in  the  City  Hall  Park  at  day- 
break, and  the  salute  was  repeated  at  noon.  At  this 
hour,  flags  Avere  flying  from  all  the  public  buildings, 
and  the  bells  of  the  principal  churches  began  to  ring, 
as  Christmas  bells  signal  the  birth  of  one  who  came  to 
bring  peace  and  good-will  to  men^himes  that,  it  was 


200    STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

fondly   hoped,  might  usher  in  a  new  era,   as  they 

should 

Ring  out  the  old,  ring  in  the  new, 

Ring  out  the  false,  ring  in  the  true. 

That  night  the  city  was  illuminated.  Never  had  it 
seen  so  brilliant  a  spectacle.  Such  was  the  blaze  of 
light  around  the  City  Hall,  that  the  cupola  caught  fire, 
and  was  consumed,  and  the  Hall  itself  narrowly  es- 
caped destruction.  Similar  demonstrations  took  place 
in  other  parts  of  the  United  States.  From  the  Atlan- 
tic to  the  Valley  of  the  Mississippi,  and  to  the  Gulf  of 
Mexico,  in  every  city  was  heard  the  firing  of  guns  and 
the  ringing  of  bells.  Nothing  seemed  too  extravagant 
to  give  expression  to  the  popular  rejoicing. 

The  next  morning  after  this  illumination,  the  Niag- 
ara entered  the  harbor  of  New  York,  and  Mr.  Field 
hastened  to  his  home.  The  ni^ht  before  leaving;  the 
ship,  he  had  written  to  the  Directors  in  London,  giving 
a  full  report  of  the  laying  of  the  cable,  which  he  closed 
by  resigning  the  position  which  he  had  held  for  the 
last  seven  months.     He  wrote : 

' '  At  your  unanimous  request,  but  at  a  very  great  personal 
sacrifice  to  myself,  I  accepted  the  office  of  General  Manager 
of  the  Atlantic  Telegx-aph  Company,  for  the  sole  purpose  of 
doing  all  in  my  power  to  aid  you  to  make  the  enterprise  suc- 
cessful ;  and  as  that  object  has  been  attained,  you  Avill  please 
accept  my  resignation.  It  will  always  afford  me  pleasure  to 
do  any  thing  in  my  power,  consistent  Avith  my  duties  to  my 
family  and  my  owni  private  affairs,  to  promote  the  interests 
of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company." 


EXCITEMENT   IN  AMERICA. 


201 


Once  more  with  his  family,  Mr.  Field  hoped  for  a 
brief  interval  of  rest  and  quiet.  But  this  was  impossi- 
ble. The  great  event  with  which  his  name  was  con- 
nected was  too  fresh  in  the  public  mind.  He  could  not 
escape  public  observation.  lie  was  jit  once  thronged 
with  visitors,  offering  their  congratulations,  and  his 
house  surrounded  with  crowds  eager  to  see  and  hear 
him.  While  making  all  allowance  for  popular  excite- 
ment, yet  none  could  deny  that  a  service  so  great 
demanded  some  public  recognition.  Even  in  England, 
where  the  enthusiasm  did  not  approach  that  in  this 
country,  still  the  wondrous  character  of  the  achieve- 
ment was  fully  acknowledged.  Said  the  London  Times 
on  the  morning  of  the  sixth  of  August:  ''Since  the 
discovery  of  Columbus,  nothing  has  been  done  in  any 
degree  comparable  to  the  vast  enlai-gement  which  has 
thus  been  given  to  the  spiiere  of  human  activity." 
"  More  was  done  yesterday  for  the  consolidation  of 
our  empire,  than  the  wisdom  of  our  statesmen,  the 
liberality  of  our  Legislature,  or  the  loyalty  of  our 
colonists,  could  ever  have  effected."  To  mark  the 
public  benefit  which  had  been  conferred,  tlie  Chief 
Engineer  of  the  Expedition,  Mr.  Charles  T.  Bi'ight, 
was  knighted,  and  Captains  Preedy  and  Akliiam  were 
both  made  Companions  of  the  Bath,  and  other  officers 
were  promoted.  Thus  England  showed  her  apprecia- 
tion of  their  services. 

But  in  this  countrv  titles  and  honors  come  not  from 


,. 


I 


I 


I 


:' 


302 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


h-5 

If' 


i: 


m. 


the  Government,  but  from  the  people.  Popular  en- 
thusiasm exhausted  itself  in  eulogies  of  the  man  who 
had  linked  the  Old  World  to  the  New.  It  seems 
strange  now  to  sit  down  in  cold  blood  and  read  what 
was  published  in  the  papers  of  that  day.  A  collec- 
tion of  American  journals  issued  during  that  eventful 
month,  August,  1858,  Avould  be  a  literary  curiosity.* 

*  Such  a  curiosity  exists,  prepared  by  the  Industry  of  a  gentleman 
who  was  one  of  the  most  careful  collectors  of  the  events  of  his  time — 
by  which  he  gathered  up  the  materials  of  future  history— Mr.  John 
R.  Bartlett,  formerly  Secretary  of  State  of  Rhode  Island.  This  gentle- 
man kept  flies  of  all  the  papers  referring  to  the  Atlantic  Telegraph, 
from  which  he  compiled  a  very  unique  volume.  It  is  In  tiie  form  of  a 
scrap-book,  but  on  a  gigantic  scale,  being  of  a  size  equal  to  Webster's 
large  Dictionary.  It  Is  made  up  entirely  of  newspaper  cuttings,  classi- 
fied under  difTerent  heads,  and  neatly  arranged  in  doublu  columns  on 
nearly  four  hundred  folio  pages.  The  matter  thus  compressed  would 
make  between  three  and  four  octavo  volumes  of  the  size  of  Prescott's 
Histories,  if  printed  in  the  style  of  those  works.  Every  thing  is  included 
that  could  be  gathered  from  European  as  well  as  American  papers, 
touching  the  claims  of  the  inventors  and  projectors  of  the  electric  tele- 
graph in  general,  and  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  in  particular.  The 
historical  sketches  are  set  oiT  by  illustrations  taken  from  the  pictorial 
papers.  Altogether  it  embraces  more  of  the  materials  of  a  history  of 
this  subject  than  any  other  volume  with  which  we  are  acquainted,  and 
well  deserves  the  title  prefixed  to  it  by  the  laborious  compiler : 

"  The  Atlantic  Teleokaph.— Its  Origin  and  History,  with  an  Ac- 
count of  the  Voyages  of  the  Steamers  Niagara  and  Agamemnon,  in  Lay- 
ing the  Cable,  and  of  the  Celebration  of  the  Great  Event  in  New  York, 
Philadelphia,  Brooklyn,  Montreal,  Dublin,  Paris,  etc.;  together  with  the 
Discussions,  Sermons,  Poetry,  and  Anecdotes  relating  thereto ;  also,  a 
History  of  the  Invention  of  the  Electric  Telegraph.  Illustrated  with 
Maps,  Plans,  Views,  and  Portraits,  collected  from  the  Newspapers  of 
the  Day,  and  arranged  by  John  Russell  Bartlett.    1858." 


EXCITEMENT  IN   AMKKICA. 


203 


Nor  was  it  merely  in  such  outward  demonstrations 
that  the  public  enthusiasm  showed  itself.  The  feeling 
struck  deeper,  and  reached  all  minds.  While  the  peo- 
ple shouted  and  cannon  roared,  sober  and  thoughtful 
men  pondered  on  the  change  that  was  being  wrought  in 
the  earth.  Business  men  reasoned  how  it  would  atfect 
the  commerce  of  the  world,  while  the  philanthropic 
regarded  it  as  the  forerunner  of  an  age  of  universal 
peace.  The  first  message  flashed  across  the  sea — even 
before  that  of  the  Queen — had  been  one  of  religious 
exultation.  It  was  from  the  Directors  in  Great  Brit- 
ain to  those  on  this  side  the  Atlantic,  and,  simply  re- 
citing the  fact  that  Europe  and  America  were  united  by 
telegraph,  at  once  broke  into  a  strain  of  religious  rap- 
ture, echoing  the  song  of  the  angels  over  a  Saviour's 
birth  :  "  Glory  to  God  in  the  highest ;  on  earth,  peace, 
good-will  toward  men,"  Poetry  at  once  caught  up  the 
strain.  The  event  became  the  theme  of  innumerable 
odes  and  hymns,  of  which  it  must  be  said  that,  what- 
ever their  merit  as  poetry,  their  spirit  at  least  was 
noble,  celebrating  the  event  chiefly  as  promoting  the 
brotherhood  of  the  human  family.  The  key-note  was 
struck  in  such  lines  as  these  : 

'Tis  done  I  tlio  an^ry  sea  consents, 

The  nations  stand  no  more  apart, 
With  clasped  hands  the  continents 

Feel  throbbinjfs  of  each  other's  heart. 


jl 


!I 


i 


204         STOllY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TKLEORAl'U. 

Speed,  speed  tlni  cable;  let  it  run 

A  lovinjif  j,>'ii'(llc  round  tlio  eiirtli, 
Till  all  t}i<>  nations  'ncatli  ilu^  sun 

Shall  1)0  us  brotlioi'M  of  oue  lioarth; 

As  brothers  i)l('df,nny,  hand  in  hand, 
One  freedom  for  the  world  abroad, 

One  coTninerco  over  every  land, 
One  languaj^e  and  oue  God. 

Tho  sermons  ptcucliiHl  on  this  occasion  were  literal- 
ly without  numbo)  Enough  found  their  way  into 
print  to  make  a  largo  volume.  Never  had  an  event 
touched  more  deeply  tlie  spii-it  of  religious  enthusiasm. 
Devout  men  held  it  as  an  advance  towai'il  that  millen- 
nial era  which  was  at  once  the  object  of  their  faith  and 
hope.  Was  not  this  tho  predicted  time  when,  "  many 
should  run  to  and  fro,  and  knowleilge  should  be 
increased  ? "  So  said  the  preachers,  taking  for  their 
favorite  text  the  vision  of  the  Psalmist,  "  Their  line  is 
gone  out  through  all  the  earth,  and  their  words  to  the 
end  of  the  world  ; "  or  the  question  of  Job :  "  ('anst 
thou  send  forth  the  lightnings,  that  they  may  go  and 
say  unto  thee.  Here  Ave  are  ?  "  Was  not  this  the  dawn 
of  that  happy  age,  when  all  men  should  be  bound 
together  in  peaceful  intercourse,  and  nations  should 
learn  war  no  more  "i  Such  was  the  burden  of  the  dis- 
courses that  were  preached  in  a  thousand  pulpits  from 
one  end  of  the  country  to  the  other.  Even  the  Roman 
Catholic  Church,  so  lofty  and  inflexible  in  its  claims, 


EXCITEMENT   IN  AMKllICA. 


206 


soaring  into  tho  past  centuries,  lunl  almost  ilisihiining 
tlio  niutoriiil  progress  of  the  present  tliiy  us  oonipjued 
witli  the  spiritiiiil  glories  of  tht;  Ages  of  Fiiitli,  did  not 
ignore  tlio  great  event ;  and  in  laying  the  foundation 
of  tho  new  Cathedral  of  St.  Patrick,  tho  largest  teniplo 
of  religion  on  tho  continent,  Archbishop  Hughes  placet' 
under  tho  corner-stone  an  inscription,  wherein,  along 
with  tho  enduring  record  of  the  Christian  faith  and  tho 
names  of  niart3'i's  and  confessoi-s,  he  did  not  disdain  to 
include  a  brief  memorial  of  this  last  achievement  of 
science,  and  the  name  of  him  who  had  conferred  so 
great  a  benefit  on  mankind. 

These  public  demonstrations  culminated  on  the  first 
of  September,  when  the  city  authorities  gave  a  public 
ovation  to  Mr.  Fiehl  and  tho  officers  of  tho  expedition. 
In  accepting  these  honors,  Mr.  Field  had  taken  good 
care  that  the  British  officers  should  be  included  with 
the  American.  At  St.  John's  he  had  been  notified  of 
the  intended  celebration,  and  at  once  telegraphetl  to 
the  British  Admiral  at  Halifax : 

"  I  should  consider  it  a  very  great  personal  favor  if 
you  would  permit  tho  (iorgon.  Captain  Dayman,  to 
accompany  tho  Niagai'a,  Captain  Hudson,  to  iS'ew 
York.  English  officers  and  English  sailors  have  la- 
bored with  American  officers  and  American  saiioi-s  to 
lay  the  Atlantic  cable.  They  Avere  with  us  in  our  days 
of  trial,  and  pray  let  them,  if  you  can,  share  with  us 
our  triumph." 


i  1 


■s , 


20G 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


,'r 


k.  r 


f  I 


The  request  was  granted  so  far  as  this,  that  the  offi- 
cers were  allowed  leave  of  absence,  and  came  on  to 
New  York  to  take  part  in  the  celebration,  and  in  all 
the  honors  which  followed,  the  officers  of  the  Gorgon 
were  associated  with  those  of  the  Niagara. 

The  day  arrived,  and  the  celebration  surpassed  any 
thing  which  the  city  had  ever  witnessed  before.  It 
was  a  mild  autumn  day — warm,  yet  with  a  sky  softly 
veiled  with  clouds,  that  seemed  to  invite  a  whole  pop- 
ulation into  the  streets.  The  day  commenced  with  a 
solemn  service  at  Trinity  Church,  which  was  attended 
by  the  city  authorities,  the  representatives  of  foreign 
powers,  and  an  immense  concourse  of  people.  The  vast 
edifice  was  decorated  with  evergreens;  in  the  centre 
hung  a  cross,  with  the  inscription  :  "  Glory  to  God  on 
high;  and  on  earth,  peace,  good-will  towards  men." 
"When  the  audience  were  assembled,  there  entered  a 
procession  of  two  hundred  clergy,  headed  by  Bishop 
Doane  of  New  Jersev,  who  was  to  deliver  the  address. 
Prayers  were  offered  and  Scriptures  were  read,  and  at 
intervals  the  choir  gave  voice  to  the  general  joy  in  the 
anthems  in  which  for  ages  the  Church  has  been  wont 
to  pour  forth  its  exultation :  "  O  come,  let  us  sing  unto 
the  Lord,"  the  Gloria  in  Excelsis,  and  the  Te  Deum 
Laudamus. 

At  noon,  Mr,  Field  and  the  officers  of  the  ships 
landed  at  Castle  Garden  and  were  received  with  a 
national  salute.    A  procession  was  formed  which  ex- 


;  .    i|. ! 


:ti 


EXCITEMENT  IN  AMERICA. 


207 


tended  for  miles  from  the  Battery  to  the  Crystal  Pal- 
ace, which  stood  on  the  plot  of  ground  now  known 
as  Bryant  Park,  between  Fortieth  and  Forty-second 
streets.  In  the  procession  were  Lord  Napier,  the 
British  Minister,  and  officers  of  tlie  army  and  navy. 
For  the  whole  distance  the  streets  were  crowded.  Tlie 
windows  and  even  the  tops  of  the  liouses  were  filled 
with  people.  Everywhere  flags  ard  banners,  with 
every  device,  floated  in  the  air.  feo  dense  was  the 
crowd  that  it  was  five  or  six  hours  before  tlie  proces- 
sion could  reach  the  Crystal  Palace. 

Here  its  coming  was  awaited  by  an  assembly  that 
filled  all  the  aisles  and  galleries.  An  address  was 
delivered,  giving  the  history  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph. 
The  Mayor  then  rose,  and  presenting  Mr.  Field  to  the 
audience,  spoke  as  follows  : 

"Sir  :  History  records  but  few  enterprises  of  such  'pith 
and  moment '  as  to  command  tlie  attention  and  at  the  same 
time  enlist  the  sympathies  of  all  mankind.  In  all  ages 
warlike  expeditions  have  been  undertaken  on  a  scale  of 
grandeur  suflficient  to  astonish  the  world  ;  but  the  evils 
Avliicli  are  inseparal^le  from  their  prosecution  have  always 
sent  a  thrill  of  horror  through  the  anxious  nations.  The 
discovery  of  the  Western  continent  even,  the  grandest  event 
of  modern  times,  was  made  by  an  insignificant  lieet  which 
left  the  shores  of  Spain  without  attracting  the  notice  of 
the  civilized  world.  Far  diirerent  has  been  the  history  of 
the  daring  and  difficult  enterprise  of  uniting  the  Old 
World  and  the  New  by  means  of  the  electric  telegraph. 


•il 


I  1 


J  ■  ■ 


'4i 


308 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


From  the  very  outset  the  good,  the  great  and  the  wise 
of  all  lands  beneath  the  sun,  have  watched  with  intense 
anxiety,  and  even  when  doubt  existed,  with  warm  interest, 
every  step  taken  toward  the  accomplishment  of  what  was 
universally  acknowledged  to  be  the  most  momentous  under- 
taking of  an  age  made  marvellous  by  wonderful  scien- 
tific and  mechanical  achievements.  The  two  greatest  and 
freest  nations  of  the  globe,  by  independent  constitutional 
legislation,  and  by  the  aid  of  their  finest  ships  and  their  ablest 
officers  and  engineers,  combined  together  to  insure  success. 
Capital  was  liberally  subscribed  by  private  citizens  in  a 
spirit  which  put  greed  to  the  blush.  The  press  on  both  sides 
of  the  Atlantic  recorded  the  details  of  the  progress  of  the 
undertaking  with  cordial  interest,  and  secured  the  generous 
sympathies  of  men  of  all  kindreds  and  tongues  and  nations 
in  its  behalf.  You  were  tlius  fortunate,  sir,  in  being  identi- 
fied with  a  project  of  such  magnificent  proportions  and  uni- 
versal concern.  But  tlip  enterprise  itself  was  no  less  for- 
tunate in  being  projected  and  carried  into  execution  by  a 
man  whom  no  obstacles  could  daunt,  no  disasters  discourage, 
no  doubts  paralyze,  no  opposition  dishearten.  If  you,  to 
whom  the  conduct  of  this  great  enterprise  was  assigned  by 
the  will  of  Providence  and  the  judgment  of  your  fellow- 
men,  had  been  found  wanting  in  courage,  in  energy,  in  de- 
termination, and  in  a  faith  that  was  truly  sublime,  the  very 
grandeur  of  the  undertaking  woxxld  only  have  rendered  its 
failure  the  more  conspicuous.  But,  sir,  the  incidents  of  the 
expedition,  and  the  final  result — too  familiar  to  all  the  world 
to  need  repetition  here— liave  demonstrated  that  you  pos- 
sessed all  the  qualities  essential  to  achieve  a  successful  issue. 
It  is  for  this  reason  that  you  now  stand  out  from  among  your 
fellow-men  a  mark  for  their  cordial  admiration  and  grateful 


I? 


EXCITEMENT  IN  AMERICA. 


209 


applause.  The  city  of  your  home  delights  to  honor  you; 
your  fellow-citizens,  conscious  that  the  glory  of  your  success 
is  reflected  back  upon  them,  are  proud  that  your  lot  has  been 
cast  among  them.  They  have  already  testified  their  appre- 
ciation of  your  great  services  and  heroic  pei-severance  by 
illuminations,  processions,  serenades,  and  addresses.  And 
now,  sir,  the  municipal  government  of  tliis,  the  first  city  on 
the  Western  continent,  instruct  me,  who  have  never  felt  the 
honor  of  being  its  chief  magistrate  so  sensibly  as  in  the  pres- 
ence of  this  vast  assemblage  of  its  fair  women  and  substan- 
tial citizens,  to  present  to  you  a  gold  box,  with  the  arms  of 
the  city  engraved  tliereon,  in  testimony  of  the  fact  tliat  to 
you  mainly,  under  Divine  Providence,  the  world  is  indebted 
for  the  successful  exrcution  of  the  grandest  enterprise  of  our 
day  and  generation ;  and  in  belialf  of  the  Mayor,  Aldermen, 
and  Conuuonalty  of  the  City  of  New  York,  I  now  request 
your  acceptance  of  this  token  of  their  approbation.  In  con- 
clusion, sir,  of  this,  the  most  agreeable  duty  of  my  public 
life,  I  sincerely  trust  that  your  days  may  be  long  in  the 
land,  and  as  prosperous  and  honorable  as  your  achievement 
in  uniting  tlie  two  liemispheres  by  a  cord  of  electric  com- 
munication has  been  successful  and  glorious." 

To  this  flattering  address,  Mr,  Field  replied  : 

"  Sir  :  This  will  be  a  memorable  day  in  my  life;  not  only 
because  it  celebrates  the  success  of  an  achievement  witli 
which  my  name  is  connected,  but  1)ecause  tlie  lionor  comos 
from  the  city  of  my  home — the  metropolitan  city  of  the  new 
world.  I  see  here  not  only  the  civic  authorities  and  citizens 
at  large,  but  my  own  personal  friends — men  with  whom  I 
have  been  connected  in  business  and  friendly  intercoui'se 
for  the  greater  part  of  my  life.  Five  weeks  ago,  this  day 
14 


l|f 


) 


'\ 


210 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


H 


11 


and  hour,  I  was  standing  on  the  deck  of  tlie  Niagara  in  mid- 
ocean,  with  the  Gorgon  and  Valorous  in  sight,  waiting  for 
the  Agamemnon.  The  day  was  cold  and  cheerless,  the  air 
was  misty,  and  the  wind  roughened  the  sea;  and  when  I 
thought  of  all  that  we  liad  passed  through — of  the  hopes 
thus  far  disappointed,  of  the  friends  saddened  by  our  re- 
verses, of  the  few  that  i-emained  to  sustain  us — I  felt  a  load 
at  my  heart  almost  too  heavy  to  bear,  though  my  confidence 
was  firm,  and  my  determination  fixed.  How  different  is  the 
scene  now  before  me — this  vast  crowd  testifying  their  sym- 
pathy and  approval,  praises  without  stint,  and  friends  with- 
out number!  This  occasion,  sir,  gives  me  the  opportunity 
to  express  my  thanks  for  the  enthusiastic  reception  which  I 
have  received,  and  I  here  make  my  acknowledgments  before 
this  vast  concourse  of  my  fellow-citizens.  To  the  ladies  1 
may,  perhaps,  add,  that  they  have  had  their  appropriate 
place,  foi*  when  the  cable  was  laid,  the  first  public  message 
that  passed  over  it  came  from  one  of  their  own  sex.  This 
box,  sir,  which  I  have  the  honor  to  receive  from  your  hand, 
shall  testify  to  me  and  to  my  children  what  my  own  city 
thinks  of  my  acts.  For  your  kindness,  sir,  expressed  in 
such  flattering,  too  flattering  terms,  and  for  the  kindness  of 
my  fellow-citizens,  I  repeat  my  most  heartfelt  thanks." 

The  enthusiasm  with  which  this  address  was  re- 
ceived reached  its  height,  when  at  the  close,  Mr. 
Field  advanced  to  the  edge  of  the  platform,  and  un- 
rolling a  d'^spatch,  held  it  up,  saying  :  "  Gentlemen,  I 
have  just  received  a  telegraphic  message  from  a  little 
village,  now  a  suburb  of  New  York,  v/hich  I  will  read 
to  you : 


EXCITEMENT  IN  AMERICA. 


311 


"London,  September  1,  1858. 
*'  To  Cyrus  W.  Field,  New  York  : 

"The  directors  are  on  their  way  to  Valentia,  to  make 
arrangements  for  opening  the  line  to  the  public.  They  con- 
vey, through  the  cable,  to  you  and  your  fellow-citizens, 
their  hearty  congratulations  and  good  wishes,  and  cordially 
sympathize  in  your  joyous  celebration  of  the  great  interna- 
tional work."* 

A  gold  medal  was  presented  to  Captain  Hudson, 
with  an  address,  to  which  he  made  a  fitting  reply. 
Similar  testimonials  were  presented  to  all  the  English 
captains  through  Mr.  Archibald,  the  British  Consul, 
who  replied  for  his  absent  countrymen,  after  which  the 
whole  audience  rose  to  their  feet,  as  the  band  played 
"  God  save  the  Queen." 

It  was  long  after  dark  when  the  exercises  closed, 
and  the  vast  multitude  dispersed. 

The  night  witnessed  one  of  those  displays  for  which 
New  York  surpasses  all  the  cities  of  the  Avorld — a  fire- 
men's torchlight  procession — a  display  such  as  was 
afterward  given  to  the  Prince  of  Wales,  but  which  we 

*  The  history  of  this  despatch  is  curiouc.  Though  dated  at  London, 
it  was  sent  from  a  small  town  in  Ireland.  The  directors  were  on  their 
way  from  Dublin  to  Valentia,  on  the  morning  of  the  first  of  September, 
when  Mr.  Saward  remarked  :  "  This  is  the  day  of  tlie  celebration  in  New 
York — we  ought  to  send  a  despatch  to  Mr.  Field."  Accordingly,  at  the 
first  stopping-place  (Mallow  Station)  the  message  was  written,  and 
forwarded  to  Valentia,  and  thence  sent  across  the  Atlantic.  It  was 
put  into  Mr.  Field's  hand  as  be  was  getting  into  his  carriage  ou  the 
Battery. 


m 

:':^ 

;    ■, 

i 

j 

212 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELP]GRAPH. 


shall  probably  witness  no  more,  since  the  Volunteer 
Fire  Department  is  disbanded. 

But  one  day  did  not  exhaust  the  public  enthusiasm. 
The  next  evening,  a  grand  banquet  was  given  by  the 
city  authorities,  at  whicd  were  present  a  great  number 
of  distinguished  guests.  Lo*"  1  Napier  spoke,  in  lan- 
guage as  happy  as  it  Avas  eloquent,  of  the  new  tie  that 
was  formed  between  Vin'lred  dwelling  on  opposite 
sides  of  the  sea,  an('     \  "  'he  highest  praise  to  the 

one  whom  he  recogniz*  '  .  .j  author  of  this  great 
achievement. 

While  these  demonsi  '.t  ns  coitinued,  every  oppos- 
ing voice  was  hushed  in  the  ciiorns  <^"  rj  ional  rejoic- 
ing ;  yet  some  there  were,  no  doubt,  who  looked  on 
with  silent  envy  or  whispered  detraction.  But  who 
could  grudge  these  honors  to  the  hero  of  the  hour — 
honors  so  hardly  won,  and  which,  as  it  proved,  AYere 
soon  to  give  place  to  harsh  censures  and  unjust  impu- 
tations ? 

Alas  for  all  human  glory  !  Its  paths  lead  but  to 
the  grave.  Death  is  the  end  of  human  ambition. 
The  very  day  that  a  whole  cit}'^  rose  up  to  do  honor 
to  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  and  its  author,  it  gave  its 
last  throb,  and  that  first  cable  was  thenceforth  to 
sleep  for  ever  silent  in  its  ocean  grave. 


a 


CHAPTER  XII. 


DID   THE   FIRST   CABLE   EVER   WORK? 


wmm 


!V   i| 


The  Atlantic  cable  was  dead !  That  word  fell 
heavy  as  a  stone  on  the  hearts  of  those  who  had  staked 
so  much  upon  it.  What  a  bitter  disappointment  to 
their  hopes  !  In  all  the  experience  of  life  there  are  no 
sadder  moments  than  those  in  which,  after  years  of 
anxious  toil,  striving  for  a  great  object,  and  after  one 
glorious  hour  of  triumph,  the  achievement  that  seemed 
complete  becomes  a  total  wreck.  Vain  is  all  human 
toil  and  endeavor.  The  years  thus  spent  are  fled 
away ;  the  labor  that  was  to  have  brought  such  a 
reward  of  "  riches  and  honor,"  is  lost ;  and  the  pro- 
longed tension  of  the  mind  by  the  excitement  of  hope 
and  ambition,  and  the  temporary  success,  reacts  to 
plunge  it  into  a  deeper  depression.  So  was  it  here. 
Years  of  labor  and  millions  of  capital  were  swept 
away  in  an  hour  into  the  bosom  of  the  pitiless  sea. 

Of  course  the  reaction  of  the  public  mind  was  very 
great.  As  its  elation  had  been  so  extravagant  before, 
it  was  now  silent  and  almost  sullen.  People  were 
ashamed  of  their  late  enthusiasm,  and  disposed  to  re- 
venge themselves  on  those  who  had  been  the  objects 


III 


•-:f^ 


214 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


of  their  idolatr}'.  It  is  instructive  to  read  the  papers 
of  the  day.  As  soon  as  it  was  evident  that  the  Atlan- 
tic cable  was  a  dead  lion,  many  hastened  to  give  it  a 
parting  kick.  There  was  no  longer  any  dispute  as  to 
who  was  the  author  of  the  great  achievement.  Rival 
claimants  quietly  withdrew  from  the  field,  content  to 
leave  him  alone  in  his  glory. 

Many  explanations  were  offered  of  this  sudden  sus- 
pension of  life.  One  writer  argued  that  the  Tele- 
graphic Plateau  was  only  a  myth  ;  that  the  bottom  of 
the  ocean  was  jagged  and  precipitous  ;  that  the  cable 
passed  over  lofty  mountain  chains,  and  hung  suspended 
from  the  peaks  of  submarine  Alps,  till  it  broke  and  fell 
into  the  tremendous  depths  below. 

But  others  found  a  readier  explanation.  With  the 
natural  tendenc}'  of  a  popular  excitement  to  rush  from 
one  extreme  to  the  other,  many  now  believed  that  the 
■whole  thing  was  an  imposition  on  public  credulity,  a 
sort  of  "  Moon  hoax."  An  elaborate  article  appeared 
in  a  Boston  paper,  headed  with  the  alarming  question, 
"  Was  the  Atlantic  cable  a  humbug  ? "  wherein  the 
■writer  argued  through  several  columns  that  it  was  a 
huge  deception.  A  writer  in  an  English  paper  also 
made  merry  of  the  celebration  in  Dublin,  where  a  ban- 
quet was  given  to  Sir  Charles  Bright,  in  an  article 
bearing  the  ominous  title ;  "  Very  like  a  Avhale  !  "  This 
writer  proved  not  only  that  the  Atlantic  cable  was 
never  laid,  but  that  such  a  thing  was  mathematically 


!!i 


DID  THE  FIRST  CABLE  EVER   WORK? 


215 


impossible.  But  since  he  turned  out  to  be  a  crazy  fel- 
low, whom  the  police  had  to  take  into  custody,  his 
"  demonstrations  "  did  not  make  much  impression  on 
the  public.  The  difficulty  of  finding  a  motive  for  the 
perpetration  of  such  a  stupendous  fraud,  did  not  at  all 
embarrass  these  ingenious  writers.  Was  it  not  enough 
to  make  the  Avorld  stare  ?  to  furnish  something  to  the 
gaping  crowd,  even  though  it  were  but  a  nine  days' 
wonder  ?  Those  who  thus  reasoned  seemed  not  to  re- 
flect that  such  deceptions  are  always  sure  to  be  found 
out ;  that  one  who  goes  up  like  a  rocket  comes  down 
like  a  stick ;  and  that  if  by  false  means  he  has  made 
himself  an  object  of  popular  idolatry,  he  is  likely  to 
become  the  object  of  popular  indignation. 

But  others  there  were — sharp,  shrewd  men — who 
thought  they  could  see  through  a  mill-stone  farther 
than  their  neighbors,  who  shook  their  heads  with  a 
knowing  air,  and  said :  "  It  was  all  a  stock  specula- 
tion." One  writer  stepped  before  the  public  with  this 
solemn  inquiry :  "  Now  that  the  great  cable  glorifica- 
tion is  over,  we  should  like  to  ask  one  question  :  How 
many  shares  of  his  stock  did  Mi*.  Field  sell  during  the 
month  of  August  ? "  This  he  evidently  thought  was  a 
question  which  could  not  be  answered,  except  by  ac- 
knowledging a  great  imposition  on  the  public.  If  this 
brilliant  inquirer  after  truth  reall}'  desired  to  be  in- 
formed, we  could  have  referred  him  to  Messrs.  George 
Peabody  &  Co.,  of  London,  with  whom  was  deposited 


I  t 


%u 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEORAPH. 


all  of  Mr.  Field's  stock  at  the  time,  and  who,  during 
that  memorable  month  of  August,  sold  just  one  share, 
and  that  at  a  price  below  the  par  value,  which  had 
been  paid  by  Mr.  Field  himself.  Whether  this  was  an 
object  sufficiently  great  to  set  two  hemispheres  in  a 
blaze,  wo  leave  him  to  judge. 

To  those  who  have  followed  this  narrative,  all  these 
conjectures  and  suspicions  will  appear  very  absurd. 
The  personal  reflections  of  course  deserved  and  received 
only  the  contempt  with  which  a  man  of  character 
always  scorns  an  imputation  on  his  personal  honoi*. 
But  while  these  anonymous  scribblers  might  be  de- 
spised, many  honest  people  not  disposed  to  think  evil 
were  sorely  perplexed.  That  the  cable  should  continue 
to  work  for  three  or  four  weeks,  and  then  stop  the  very 
day  of  the  celebration,  was  certainlj'  a  singular,  if 
not  a  suspicious  circumstance ;  and  it  Avas  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  it  should  excite  a  painful  feeling  of 
doubt.  The  distrust  is  quite  natural,  and  ought  not 
to  be  matter  either  of  offence  or  surprise.  On  the 
contrary,  those  who  are  fully  satisfied  of  the  facts, 
ought  rather  to  be  glad  of  the  opportunity  Avhicli 
such  questions  afford,  to  present  the  amplest  vindica- 
tion. 

To  relieve  all  doubts,  it  is  only  necessary  to  give  a 
very  brief  history  of  the  working  of  the  Atlantic  cable. 
It  was  landed  on  both  sides  of  the  ocean  on  the  fifth 
of  August.    The  last  recorded  message  passed  over  it 


DID  THE  FIRST  CABLE  EVER   WORK  ? 


3ir 


on  the  first  of  September,  one  day  short  of  four  weeks. 
Within  that  time  there  were  sent  exactly  four  hundred 
messages,  of  which  two  hundi-ed  and  seventy-one  were 
from  Newfoundland  to  Ireland,  and  one  hundred  and 
twentv-nino  from  Ireland  to  Newfoundland.  Of  these, 
the  greater  i)art  were  merely  between  the  operators 
themselves,  respecting  the  adjustment  of  instruments, 
and  working  the  telegraph,  which,  while  they  furnished 
decisive  evidence  to  tkeni,  were  of  no  force  to  the  public. 
Of  course  an  operator,  working  with  a  battery  on  the 
shore  at  Valentia,  or  at  Trinity  Bay,  watching  his 
instrument,  and  seeing  the  little  tongue  of  light  reflected 
from  the  moving  mirror  of  the  galvanometer,  needed  no 
other  evidence  of  an  electric  current  tliat  had  passed 
through  the  cable.  He  saw  it,  and  knew,  as  if  he  saw 
the  flash  of  a  gun  on  the  coast  of  Ireland,  that  it  was  a 
hght  which  had  come  from  beyond  the  sea.  But  these 
private  assurances  were  nothing  to  the  outside  world. 
What  they  needed  wajspuUie  messages,  conveying  news 
from  one  hemisphere  to  the  other.  Of  these,  there  were 
not  a  great  number,  for  obvious  reasons.  Tiie  cable, 
during  the  four  weeks  of  its  existence,  never  worked 
perfectly — that  is,  as  a  land  line  works,  transmitting 
messages  freely  and  rapidly,  and  Avith  perfect  accuracy. 
It  was  subject  to  frequent  interruptions  for  reasons 
which  may  satisfy  any  one  that  the  wonder  is,  not  that 
it  did  so  little,  but  that  it  did  so  much. 

1st.  To  begin  with,  the  cable  was  not  constructed  in 


,  i 


218        STORY  OF  TIIR  ATLANTIC  TELEOIIAPII. 

the  most  perfect  miinnor.  Its  makers,  tliougli  tlio  best 
then  in  the  world,  had  had  but  httlo  experience  in 
making  deep-sea  cables.  No  lino  over  three  hundred 
miles  long  had  ever  been  laid.  2d.  It  h.ad  been  made 
more  than  a  year  before.  After  it  was  finished,  part  of 
it  had  been  coiled  out  of  doors,  where  it  was  exposed 
to  a  burning  sun,  by  which,  as  was  afterward  found, 
the  gutta-perclia  had  been  melted  in  many  places  till 
the  insulation  was  nearly  destroyed.  3d.  It  had  been 
put  on  board  the  shi[)s  in  1857,  and  after  the  first 
failure,  had  been  taken  out  and  coiled  on  the  dock  at 
Plymouth,  and  then  re-shipped  in  J  858.  Thus  it  had 
been  twisted  and  untwisted,  some  portions  of  it  as 
many  as  ten  times.  Then  the  Agamemnon  was  so 
shaken  in  the  terrible  gale  of  June,  that  the  cable  on 
board  of  her  Avas  seriously  injured,  and  some  portions 
were  cut  out  and  condemned.  Taking  all  these  things 
together,  the  wonder  is,  not  that  the  cable  failed  after 
a  month,  but  that  it  ever  worked  at  all ! 

Owing  to  this  impaired  state  of  the  cable,  it  did  not 
work  perfectly.  Probably  it  Avould  not  have  worked 
at  all  with  ordinary  instruments.  But  the  galva- 
nometer of  Professor  Thomson,  that  instrument  of 
marvellous  delicacy,  drew  faint  whispers  from  its  mut- 
tering lips.  Signals  came  and  went,  which  showed 
that  the  electric  current  passed  from  shore  to  shore, 
and  gave  promise  that  with  delicate  handling  it  could 
be  taught  to  speak  plainly.    But   for   the  present  it 


Kit' 


iNi 


DID  THE  FTRST  TARLK  EV?1R  WOllK  ? 


219 


spoke  slowly  and  with  difliculty.  It  often  took  hours 
to  got  through  a  single  despatch  of  any  length. 
Witness  the  delay  in  transmitting  the  Queen's  mes- 
sage !  These  frequent  interruptions  were  ascribed  to 
various  causes.  Sometimes  it  was  earth-currents ;  at 
others,  a  thunderstorm  was  raging.  Thus,  on  the 
morning  of  Thursday,  the  twenty -sixth  of  August, 
there  was  a  violent  storm  in  Newfoundland,  heavy 
rain,  accompanied  by  thunder  and  lightning.  At  three 
o'clock,  the  lightning  was  so  intense  that  for  an  hour 
and  a  half  the  end  of  the  cable  had  to  l)e  put  to  the 
earth  for  protection.  After  that  the  storm  cleared 
away,  and  at  seven  o'clock  the  weather  was  report  ■(! 
as  very  fine.  But  aside  from  these  local  and  tem- 
porary causes,  the  real  difficulty  was  in  the  cable 
itself,  whose  insulation  had  been  fatally  impaired,  and 
which  was  now  wearing  out  its  life  on  the  rocks  of 
the  sea.  These  causes  made  its  speech  difficult  and 
broken.  Yet  sometimes  it  flashed  U])  with  sudtlen 
power.  In  one  case,  a  message  was  sent  from  the 
office  at  Trinity  Bay  to  Ireland  and  an  answer  re- 
ceived back  in  two  minutes!  Such  incidents  excited 
the  liveliest  hopes  that  all  difficulties  would  be  speedily 
overcome,  and  justified  the  messages  which  were  sent 
to  the  New  York  papers  from  day  to  day,  that  the 
instruments  were  being  adjusted,  by  whicii  it  was  ex- 
pected that  the  line  would  soon  be  put  in  perfect 
working  order,  and  be  thrown  open  to  the  public. 


I' 

15,! 

If;  I 


iM 


iSikil 


it 


230        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

But  these  flashes  of  light  proved  to  be  only  the  flick- 
ering of  the  flame,  that  was  soon  to  be  extinguished 
in  the  eternal  darkness  of  the  waters. 

But  the  question  which  perplexed  not  only  skeptics, 
but  the  truest  friends,  was  not  whether  the  cable 
Avorked  fast  or  slow,  hut  whether  it  ever  worked  at 
all.  Happily,  this  is  a  question  which  can  easily  be 
settled,  since  it  is  one  simply  of  facts  and  dates,  which 
can  be  ascertained  by  referring  to  the  files  of  the  Eng- 
lish and  American  papers.  Of  course  the  only  proof 
must  be  in  messaffes  containing  ne^vs.  Mere  congratu- 
lations  betw^oen  the  Queen  and  the  President,  or  the 
Mayor  of  New  York  and  the  Mayor  of  London,  prove 
nothing,  for  these  might  have  been  prepared  before- 
hand, if  we  suppose  a  design  to  impose  on  the  credulity 
of  the  public.  But  the  decisive  test  is  this  :  Was  there 
at  any  time  within  that  month  published  in  the  English 
or  American  journals  news  which  could  not  be  matter 
of  guess  or  conjecture,  and  within  a  time  too  short  for 
its  possible  transmission  in  any  other  wa}^?  If  this 
can  be  proved  be\'ond  all  doubt,  even  in  a  few  in- 
stances, the  question  is  decided,  for  the  argument  is 
just  as  strong  with  a  dozen  cases  as  wntli  a  thou- 
sand. "We  give,  therefore,  a  few  dates,  the  accuracy 
of  which  can  be  tested  by  any  one  who  will  take 
the  trouble  to  examine  the  English  and  American 
papers : 

On  Saturday,  the  fourteenth  of  August,  the  steam- 


DID  THE   FIRST  CABLE  EVER  WORK? 


221 


ships  Arabia  and  Europa,  the  former  bound  for  New 
York  and  the  latter  for  Liverpool,  came  into  collision 
off  Cape  Race.  The  accident  was  not  known  in  New 
York  until  Tuesday,  the  seventeenth,  since  it  could 
not  be  telegraphed  till  the  Arabia  reached  Halifax  or 
the  Europa.  St.  John's,  into  which  port  she  put  for 
repairs.  As  soon  as  the  news  reached  New  York,  the 
agent  of  the  Company,  Mr.  Nimmo  (Mr.  Cunard 
himself  being  then  in  England),  at  once  prepared  a 
despatch  to  be  sent  to  relieve  immediate  anxiety.  This 
was  not  forwarded  to  Newfoundland,  as  peremptory 
orders  had  been  given  not  to  transmit  any  private 
business  messages  to  go  through  the  cable  until  the 
line  was  fully  open  to  the  public.  But  the  next  day 
Mr.  Field  arrived  in  New  York,  and  Mr.  Nimmo 
applied  to  him.  Seeing  the  urgency  of  the  case,  he 
ordered  it  to  be  forwarded.  It  was  accordingly  sent, 
and  arrived  in  London  on  the  twentieth,  giving  the 
first  news  that  was  received  of  the  accident.  This 
Avas  repeatedly  stated  by  the  late  Sir  Samuel  Cunard, 
of  London,  and  confirmed  by  his  son  Mr.  Edward 
Cunard,  of  New  York.  The  message  was  published 
in  the  London  papers  of  the  twenty-first,  as  follows : 


i|!!i 


"Arabia  in  collision  with  Europa,  Capo  Raco,  Saturday. 
Arabia  on  lier  way.  Head  sli^i-lilly  iujiirod.  Europa  lost 
bowsprit,  cutwater  stem  sprunj^-.  Will  reuiaiii  in  St.  John's 
ten  days  from  sixteenth.  Persia  calls  at  St.  John's  for  mails 
and  passengers.     No  loss  of  life  or  limb." 


w 


fi%2 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


i  1  i'^S 


II '  n 


UiMi 


This  first  news  message  was  not  only  a  very  decisive 
one  as  to  the  fact  of  telegraphic  communication,  but 
one  which  showed  the  relief  given  by  speedy  knowl- 
edge in  dispelling  doubt  and  fear.  Mr.  "William  E. 
Dodge,  of  New  York,  says :  "  I  was  in  Liverpool  at 
the  time,  and  expecting  friends  by  the  Europa.  Any 
delay  in  the  arrival  of  the  ship  would  have  caused 
great  anxiety.  But  one  morning,  on  going  down  to 
the  Exchange,  we  saw  posted  up  this  despatch  re- 
ceived the  night  before  by  the  Atlantic  Telegraph. 
All  then  said,  if  the  cable  never  did  any  thing  more, 
it  had  full}'^  repaid  its  cost."  Well  may  he  add  with 
devout  feeling :  "  It  seemed  as  if  Divine  Providence  had 
permitted  the  event,  to  furnish  a  testimony  which  could 
not  be  denied,  to  the  reality  and  the  benefit  of  this  new 
means  of  communication  between  the  two  continents." 

Passing  over  all  the  messages  exchanged  between 
the  operators  at  the  stations,  the  congratulations  of 
Queen  and  President,  and  of  the  Mayors  of  New  York 
and  London,  we  come  to  another  news  despatch.  Au- 
gust twenty-fifth,  Newfoundland  reports  to  Yalentia: 

"Persia  takes  Europa's  passengers  and  mails,  (j. -eat  re- 
joicing everywhere  at  success  of  cable.  Bonfires,  fireworks, 
feux  dejoie,  speeches,  balls,  etc.  Mr.  Eddy,  the  first  and 
best  telegrapher  in  the  States,  died  to-day.  Pray  give  some 
news  for  New  York  ;  tliej  are  mad  for  news." 

This  despatch  the  writer,  who  was  then  in  Europe, 
read  first  in  the  London  Times.    The  item  which  ar- 


DID  THE  FIRST  CABLE  EVER  WORK? 


223 


rested  his  attention  was  the  death  of  Mr.  Eddy,  as  he 
had  some  acquaintance  with  that  gentleman. 

That  the  news  must  have  come  by  cable,  is  clearly 
shown  by  an  examination  of  dates.  He  died  suddenly, 
at  Burlington,  Vermont,  Monday,  August  twenty-third, 
1858,  at  ten  o'clock  fifteen  minutes  a.  m.  The  exact 
day  and  hour  we  learned  from  his  widow,  who  after 
his  death  lived  in  Brooklyn.  The  news  was  tele- 
graphed to  New  York,  and  from  there  sent  to  Trinity 
Bay,  which  it  reached  the  following  day,  and  from 
which  it  was  forwarded  to  Yalentia,  and  appeared  in 
the  London  Times  "Wednesdav  morninn:.  Thus  not 
forty-eight  hours  elapsed  after  he  breathed  his  last, 
before  it  was  published  in  England.  If  any  one  wishes 
to  see  the  despatch,  he  will  find  a  file  of  The  Times  in 
the  Astor  Library'. 

But  here  appears  a  slight  discrepancy,  that,  how- 
ever, when  examined,  furnishes  double  proof.  The 
despatch  is  dated  August  twenty-fifth,  and  says  Mr. 
Eddy  died  to-day,  and  yet  it  is  published  in  the  London 
Times  of  the  same  date !  How  is  this  ?  It  was  sent 
between  nine  and  ten  o'clock  at  ni^ht  of  the  twenty- 
fourtii,  when  the  operator  at  Heart's  Content  would  say 
this  day  of  a  piece  of  news  just  received,  but  in  affixing 
the  date,  he  was  governed  hy  Greemoich  time,  which 
made  it  more  than  three  hours  later.  Accordingly  it 
was  published  in  Tlie  Times,  dated  August  twenty- 
fifth,  fifty-three  minutes  past  twelve  a.  m.  ! 


;  I:  I 


1 1- 


324 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


V.ii 


1^ 


Tliose  who  argued  for  the  theory  of  collusion  and 
decoption,  must  have  been  embarrassed  by  this  unex- 
pected intelligence  appearing  in  London,  which  could 
only  be  explained  as  a  false  report,  unless  (more  won- 
derful still !)  Mr.  Eddy  had  entered  into  the  plot,  and 
sent  the  message  beforehand,  and  then  offered  himself 
as  a  sacrifice,  to  prove  it  correct ! 

To  the  demand  for  news  in  the  above  despatch,  a 
reply  was  at  once  returned :  "  Sent  to  London  for 
news."     And  later  the  same  da}^  came  the  following : 

"North  American  with  Canadian,  and  the  Asia  with 
direct  Boston  mails,  leave  Liverpool,  and  Fulton,  South- 
ampton, Saturday  next.  To-day's  morning'  papers  liave 
long,  interesting  reports  by  Bright.  Indian  news.  Virago 
arrived  at  Liverpool  to-day;  Bombay  dates  nineteenth  July. 
Mutiny  being  rapidly  quelled." 

A  despatch  of  the  same  date,  August  twenty-fifth, 
also  announces  peace  with  China.  The  whole  was 
received  at  Trinitv  Bav  about  nine  o'clock  p.m.,  and 
would  have  been  sent  on  at  once  to  New  York,  but 
that  the  land  lines  in  Nova  Scotia  were  closed  at  that 
hour.  It  was  sent  the  next  morning,  and  appeared  in 
the  evening  papers  of  the  twenty-sixth. 

By  referring  again  to  the  London  Times,  the  reader 
will  see  that  the  news  from  China  was  published 
in  London  on  the  twenty-third  of  August.  It  was 
there  given  as  unexpected  news,  so  that  it  could  not 
have   been  a  shrewd  guess  on  the  part  of  anybody 


■>« 


DID  THE  FIRST  CABLE  EVER  WORK? 


235 


either  in  England  or  America.  It  took  the  pubhc  by 
surprise,  both  for  the  news  itself  and  for  ilie  way  in 
which  it  came — whicli  Avas  not  by  India  and  the  Red 
Sea,  but  by  St.  Petersburg-,  where  it  arrived  on  the 
twenty-first,  having  been  brought  overland  by  a  cou- 
rier to  Prince  Gortchakoff.  From  there  it  was  tele- 
graphed to  the  Government  at  Paris,  and  thence  to 
London.  The  Times  comments  on  this  roundabout  way 
in  wliicli  intelligence  so  important  reached  England. 
Yet  this  news,  so  unlooked  for,  announced  in  London 
only  on  the  morning  of  the  twenty-third  of  August, 
was  published  in  New  York  on  tlie  twenty-sixth. 

August  twent}' -seventh,  comes  a  still  longer  de- 
spatch, which  we  give  in  full : 

"George  Saward,  Secretary  Atlantic  Telegraph  Com- 
pany, to  Associated  Press,  New  York.  News  for  America 
by  Atlantic  cable.  Emperor  of  France  returned  to  Paris, 
Saturday.  King  of  Prussia  too  ill  to  visit  Queen  Victoria. 
Her  Majesty  returns  to  England  thirtietb  of  August. — St. 
Petersburg,  twenty-first  of  August.  Settlemejit  of  Chinese 
question.  Chinese  empire  opened  to  trade;  Christian  reli- 
gion allowed;  foreign  diplomatic  agents  admitted;  indem- 
nity to  England  and  France. — Alexandria,  August  ninth. 
The  Madras  arrived  at  Suez  seventh  iiist.  Dates  Bombay  to 
the  nineteenth ;  Aden,  tliirty-first.  Gwulior  insurgent  army 
broken  up.     All  India  l)ecoming  tranquil." 


i  '.n 


II 


ili 


This  despatch  embodies  about  a  dozen  distinct  items 
of  news,  not  one  of  which  could  be  known  without  a 
15 


h 

\.. 

n 

Xi 

.'.jji  , 

226 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


telegraphic  communication.  The  whole  was  received 
in  New  York,  and  published  in  the  evening  papers  the 
same  day. 

Not  to  be  outdone  in  giving  news,  the  next  day, 
Saturday,  August  twenty-eighth,  Newfoundland  thus 
replies  to  Valentia : 

"To  the  Directors:  Take  news  first,  Saward,  Sir  Wil- 
liam Williams,  of  Kars,  arrived  Halifax  Tuesday.  Enthu- 
siastically received.  Immense  procession — welcome  address 
— feeling  reply.  Held  levee — large  number  presented. 
Niagara  sailed  for  Liverpool  at  one  this  morning.  The 
Gorgon  arrived  at  Halifax  last  night.  Yellow  fever  in  New 
Oi'leans,  sixty  to  seventy  deaths  per  day.  Also  declared 
epidemic,  Charleston.  Great  preparations  in  New  York 
and  other  places  for  celebration,  to  be  held  the  first  and 
second  of  September.  New  Yorkers  will  make  it  the  great- 
est gala-day  ever  known  in  this  country.  Hei'mann  sailed 
for  Fraser's  River;  six  hundred  passengers.  Prince  Albert 
sailed  yesterday  for  Gahvay.  Arabia  and  Ariel  arrived  New 
Yoi'k ;  Anglo  Saxon,  Quebec ;  Canada,  Boston.  Europa  left 
St.  John's  this  morning.  Splendid  aurora  Bay  of  Bulls  to- 
night, extending  over  eighty-five  degrees  of  the  horizon." 

Let  any  one  read  this  despatch,  sentence  by  sentence, 
noting  the  minuteness  of  the  details — which  could  not 
be  known  or  conjectured — such  as  the  appearance  of 
yellow  fever  at  New  Orleans,  with  the  number  of 
deaths  a  day  ;  the  sailing  or  arrival  of  seven  steamers  ; 
the  number  of  passengers  for  Fraser's  River,  etc. — and 
then  examine  the  London  Times,  in  which  all  these 


% 


DID  THE  FIRST  CABLE  EVER  WORK? 


227 


111 


items  appeared  Monday  morning,  August  thirtieth, 
and  if  he  does  not  admit  that  collusion  or  deception 
is  out  of  the  question,  no  amount  of  evidence  could 
convince  him. 

We  will  give  but  one  proof  more.  On  the  last  day 
of  August,  the  day  before  the  cable  ceased  to  work, 
Yalentia  sent  to  Newfoundland  two  messages  for  the 
British  Government,  both  signed  by  "the  Military 
Secretary  to  the  Commander-in-Chief,  Horse  Guards, 
London,"  and  addressed — the  first  to  General  TroUope, 
Halifax,  which  said,  "  The  Sixty-second  regiment  is 
not  to  return  to  England  ; "  and  the  other  to  the  Gen- 
eral  Officer  commanding  at  Montreal,  saying :  "  The 
Thirty-ninth  regiment  is  not  to  return  to  England." 
The  year  before  (1857)  had  Avitnessed  the  Sepoy  Mu- 
tiny, which  threatened  the  overthrow  of  the  British 
Empire  in  India.  The  fighting  was  over,  but  the 
country  was  still  agitated,  and  the  Home  Government 
in  fear  that  the  rebellion  might  be  renewed,  so  that  it 
continued  to  send  forward  fresh  troops.  It  had  sent 
out  orders  by  mail  for  these  two  regiments  to  embark 
immediately  for  home,  to  be  sent  to  India.  But  the 
mutiny  being  nearly  suppressed,  this  was  found  not  to 
be  necessary,  and  the  prompt  countermanding  of  the 
order  by  telegraph  saved  the  British  Government,  in 
the  cost  of  transportation  of  troops,  not  less  than  fifty 
thousand  pounds.  The  despatch  to  Halifax  was  re- 
ceived the  same  day  that  it  was  sent  from  London. 


!  I 


'I 


I 


T 


228 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


The  sending  of  this  despatch,  and  its  almost  immediate 
reception,  is  attested  by  an  official  letter  from  the  War 
Office  in  London. 

This  array  of  proofs  of  what  took  place  a  quarter  of 
a  century  ago,  may  seem  superfluous  now  that  expe- 
rience has  made  despatches  from  the  other  side  of  the 
ocean  one  of  the  familiar  tilings  of  our  daily  life. 
And  yet  at  that  date  the  achievement  was  so  stupen- 
dous, and,  as  some  thought,  in  its  very  nature  so  in- 
credible, that  men  of  the  greatest  intelligence  could 
not  be  convinced.  The  late  Mr.  Charles  O'Conor 
continued  for  years  to  quote  the  fact  that  some  men 
believed  that  a  message  had  actually  passed  across  the 
Atlantic  as  the  most  amazing  illustration  of  human  cre- 
dulity !  Happily  he  lived  to  see  and  to  appreciate  to 
its  full  value  this  latest  miracle  of  scientific  discovery, 
applied  by  human  genius  and  skill. 


%-i 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

CAST   DOWN,    BUT    NOT   IN    DKaPAIR. 

It  takes  a  long  time  to  recover  from  a  great  dis- 
aster. When  at  last  the  friends  of  the  Atlantic  Tele- 
graph were  obliged  to  confess  that  the  cable  had  ceased 
to  work ;  when  all  the  efforts  of  tlie  electricians  failed 
to  draw  more  than  a  few  faint  whispers,  a  dying  gasp, 
from  the  depths  of  the  sea,  there  ensued  in  the  public 
mind  a  feeling  of  profound  discouragement.  For  a 
time  this  paralyzed  all  effort  to  revive  the  Company 
and  to  renew  the  enterprise.  And  yet  the  feeling, 
though  natural,  was  extreme.  If  they  had  not  done 
all  they  attempted,  they  had  accomplished  much.  They 
had  at  least  demonstrated  the  possibility  of  laying  a 
cable  across  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  of  sending  mes- 
sages through  it.  This  alone  was  no  small  triumph. 
So  men  reasoned  when  sober  i-eflection  returned,  and 
at  length  the  tide  of  public  confidence,  which  had 
ebbed  so  strongly,  began  to  reflow,  and  once  more  to 
creep  up  the  shores  of  England. 

But  when  a  great  enterprise  has  been  overthrown, 
and  lies  prostrate  on  the  earth,  the  first  impulse  of  its 
friends  is  to  call  on  Caesar  for  help.     So  the  first  appeal 


i  1, 


t' 


i    ■ 


230 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


m 


■%: 


of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  was  to  the  British 
Government.  It  was  claimed,  and  with  reason,  that 
the  Avork  was  too  great  to  be  undertaken  by  private 
capital  alone.  It  was  a  matter,  not  of  private  specu- 
lation, but  of  public  and  national  concern.  It  was, 
therefore,  an  object  which  might  justly  be  undertaken 
by  a  powerful  government,  in  the  interest  of  science 
and  of  civilization. 

To  raise  capital  for  a  new  cable,  it  was  necessary  to 
have  some  better  security  than  the  hazards  of  a  vast 
and  doubtful  undertaking.  Hence  the  Company  asked 
the  Government  to  guarantee  the  interest  on  a  certain 
amount  of  stock,  even  if  the  second  attempt  should 
not  prove  a  success.  With  such  a  guarantee,  the  capi- 
tal could  be  raised  in  London  in  a  day. 

In  this  application  they  might  have  been  successful, 
but  for  an  untoward  event,  which  dampened  the  con- 
fidence of  the  public  in  all  submarine  enterprises — the 
failure  of  the  Red  Sea  Telegraph.  The  British  Gov- 
ernment, anxious  to  forward  communication  with  India, 
had  given  that  Company  an  unconditional  guarantee, 
on  the  strength  of  which  the  capital  was  raised,  and 
the  cable  manufactured  and  laid.  But  in  a  short  time 
it  ceased  to  work,  a  loss  which  tlie  treasury  of  Great 
Britain  had  to  make  good.  To  the  public,  which 
did  not  understand  the  cause  of  the  failure  to  be  the 
imperfect  construction  of  the  cable,  the  effect  was  to 
impair  confidence  in  all  long   submarine  telegraphs. 


rV! 
li 


CAST  DOWN,   BUT  NOT  IN   DESPAIR. 


2'M 


Of  course,  after  such  on  experience,  tlie  Government 
was  not  disposed  to  bind  itself  by  such  pledges  again. 
It  was,  however,  ready  to  aid  the  enterprise  by  any 
safe  means.  It  thei'cfore  increased  its  subsidy  from 
fourteen  thousand  pounds  to  twenty  thousand  pounds ; 
and  guaranteed  eight  per  cent  on  six  hundred  thousand 
pounds  of  new  capital  for  twenty-five  years,  with  only 
one  condition — that  the  cable  should  loork.  This  was  a 
liberal  grant,  and  under  the  circumstances,  was  all  that 
could  be  expected. 

Still  fui'ther  to  encourage  the  undertaking,  it  ordered 
new  soundings  to  be  taken  off  the  coast  of  Ireland. 
These  were  made  by  Captain  Iloskins,  of  the  Iloyal 
Navy,  and  dispelled  the  fears  which  had  been  enter- 
tained of  a  submarine  mountain,  which  would  prove  an 
impassable  barrier  in  the  path  of  an  ocean  telegraph. 

But  the  greatest  service  which  the  British  Govern- 
ment rendered,  Avas  in  the  long  course  of  experiments 
■which  it  now  ordered,  to  determine  all  the  difficult 
problems  of  submarine  telegraphy.  In  1850,  the  year 
after  the  failure  of  the  fii'st  Atlantic  cable,  the  lioard 
of  Trade  appointed  a  committee  of  the  most  eminent 
scientific  and  engineering  authorities  in  Great  ]»ritain 
to  investigate  the  whole  subject.  This  was  composed 
of  Captain  Douglas  Galton,  of  the  Royal  Engineers, 
then  of  the  "War  Office,  who  represented  the  Govern- 
ment ;  Professor  Wheatstone,  the  celebrated  electrician ; 
William  Fairbairn,  President  of  the  British  Association 


888 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEOKAPIT. 


for  the  Aclvancomont  of  Science  ;  George  Parker  Bid- 
der, whose  name  ranks  with  those  of  Stephenson  and 
Brunei ;  C.  F.  Varley,  who,  in  tiie  practical  working  of 
telegraplis,  had  no  superior  in  England;  Latimer  Chirk 
and  Edwin  Clark,  hoth  engineers,  wlio  had  had  great 
experience  in  the  business  of  telegraphing ;  and  George 
Saward,  the  Secretary  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Com- 
pany. 

This  Committee  sat  for  nearly  two  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  it  made  a  report  to  the  Government,  which 
fills  a  very  large  volume,  in  which  are  detailed  an  im- 
mense number  of  experiments,  touching  the  form  and 
size  of  cables,  their  relative  strength  and  tlexibility, 
the  power  of  telegraphing  at  long  distances,  the  speed 
at  Avhich  messages  could  be  sent ;  and  in  line,  every 
possible  question,  either  as  to  tlie  electrical  or  engi- 
neering difficulties  to  be  overcome.  The  result  of 
these  manifold  and  laborious  experiments  is  summed 
up  in  the  following  certificate,  signed  by  all  who  had 
taken  part  in  this  memorable  investigation : 


"London,  13th  July,  1863. 
"We,  the  undersigned,  membei's  of  the  Committee,  who 
were  appointed  by  the  Board  of  Trade,  in  1859,  to  investi- 
gate the  question  of  submarine  telegraphy,  and  whose  in- 
vestigation continued  from  that  time  to  April,  1861,  do 
hereby  state,  as  the  result  of  our  deliberations,  that  a  well- 
insulated  cable,  properly  protected,  of  suitable  specific 
gravity,  made  with  care,  and  tested  under  water  through- 


CAST   DOWX,    BUT  NOT  IN   DESPAIIl. 


2:{3 


out  its  |)i'()>,M'('ss  willi  tlm  l)o,st  known  apparatus,  and  i)a'cl 
into  tlie  ocean  with  th(>  most  iiriprovcd  niaoliinrry,  possesses 
every  prospect  of  not  only  beiny^  successfully  laid  in  the 
ilrst  instance,  hut  may  reasomihly  l)e  relied  upon  to  con- 
tinue for  many  years  in  an  ellicient  state  for  the  transmis- 
sion of  sij^nals. 


D()U(iLAS  Galton, 
C.  Whkathtone, 

WM.    FAIRHAHiN, 
Gko.    p.    BlDDKR, 


Cromwkm.  F.  Vahley, 
Latimer  Clark, 
Edwin  Clark, 
Geo.  Saward." 


Thus  tho  yeiirs  which  followed  the  failure  of  1858 — 
though  they  siiw  no  jitteinpt  to  hi}'  another  ocean 
cable — were  not  years  of  idleness.  Thev  were  rather 
years  of  experiment  and  of  preparation,  clearing  the 
wa}'  for  new  efforts  and  iinal  victory.  The  Atlantic 
Telegraph  itself  had  been  a  grand  experiment.  It  had 
taught  many  important  truths  which  could  be  learned 
in  no  other  way.  Not  only  had  it  demonstrated  the 
possibility  of  telegraphing  from  continent  to  conti- 
nent, but  it  had  been  useful  even  in  exposing  its  own 
defects,  as  it  taught  how  to  avoid  them  in  the  future. 

For  example,  in  working  the  first  cable,  the  electri- 
cians had  thought  it  necessary  to  use  a  very  strong 
battery.  They  did  not  suppose  they  could  reach 
across  the  whole  breadth  of  the  Atlantic,  and  touch 
llie  Western  hemisphere,  unless  they  sent  an  electi-ic 
current  that  was   almost  like  a  stroke   of   liojitnino 


o   ' 


and  that,  in  fact,  endangered  the  safety  of   the  con- 
ducting wire.     But   they  soon    found    that    this  was 


III 


U 


w. 


234        STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

unnecessary.  God  was  not  in  the  whirlwind,  but  in 
the  still,  small  voice.  A  soft  touch  could  send  a 
thrill  along  that  iron  nerve.  It  seemed  as  if  the  deep 
were  a  vast  whispering  galler}',  and  that  a  gentle  voice 
murmured  in  the  ocean  caves,  like  a  ^yhisper  in  a  sea- 
shell,  might  be  caught,  so  wonderful  are  the  harmo- 
nies of  nature,  by  listening  ears  on  remote  continents ; 
a  miracle  of  science,  that  could  give  a  literal  meaning 
to  Milton's 

"  Airy  tongues,  that  syllable  men's  names 
On  sands,  and  shores,  and  desert  wildernesses." 

These  were  also  years  of  great  progress,  not  only  in 
the  science  of  submarine  telegraphy,  but  in  the  con- 
struction of  deep-sea  cables.  In  spite  of  the  failure  of 
that  in  the  Red  Sea,  one  was  laid  down  in  the  Medi- 
terranean, 1,535  miles  long,  from  Malta  to  Alexandria, 
and  another  in  tlie  Persian  Gulf,  1,400  miles  long,  by 
which  telegraphic  communication  avus  finally  opened 
from  England  to  India.  Others  were  laid  in  different 
St  as  and  oceans  in  distant  parts  of  the  Avorld.  These 
great  triumphs,  following  the  scientific  experiments 
which  had  been  made,  revived  public  confidence,  and 
prepared  the  way  for  a  fresh  attempt  to  pass  the 
Atlantic. 

Yet  not  much  was  done  to  renew  the  enterprise 
until  1862.  Mr.  Field  had  been  indefatigable  in  his 
efforts  to  reanimate  the  Company.     lie  was  continu- 


es 


m 


CAST   DOWN,   BUT  NOT  IN  DESPAIR. 


235 


ally  going  back  and  forth  to  the  British  Provinces  and 
to  England,  urging  it  wlierever  his  voice  could  be 
heard.  Yet  times  were  adverse.  The  United  States 
had  been  suddenly  involved  in  a  tremendous  war, 
which  called  into  the  field  hundreds  of  thousands  of 
men,  and  entailed  a  burden  of  many  hundreds  of  mil- 
lions. While  engaged  in  this  life-and-death  struggle, 
and  rolling  up  a  mountain  of  debt,  our  people  had 
little  thought  to  bestow  on  great  enterprises  by  land 
or  sea. 

And  yet  one  incident  of  the  war  forcibly  recalled 
public  attention  to  the  necessity  of  some  speedier  com- 
munication with  Europe  than  by  steam.  The  unhappy 
Trent  affair  aroused  an  angry  feeling  in  Great  Britain 
which  nearly  resulted  in  hostilities,  all  of  which  might 
have  been  prevented  by  a  single  word  of  explanation. 
As  The  Times  said  truly:  "  AVe  nearlv  went  to  war 
with  America  because  we  had  not  a  telegraph  across 
the  Atlantic."  After  such  a  warning,  it  was  natural 
that  both  countries  should  begin  to  think  seriously  of 
the  means  of  preventing  future  misunderstanding.  Mr. 
Field  went  to  Washington,  and  found  great  readiness 
on  the  part  of  the  President  and  his  (cabinet  to  en- 
courage, the  enterprise.  Mr.  Seward  wrote  tt)  our 
^Minister  in  London  that  the  American  Government 
would  be  happy  to  join  with  that  of  Great  Britain  in 
promoting  this  international  work.  With  this  encour- 
agement, Mr.  Field  went  to  England  to  urge  the  Coni- 


I 


If    <';| 


I.    ^1 


I  ij'  j;  / 


r 


fl 


236 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH, 


pany  to  renew  the  undertaking.  While  in  London, 
he  endeavored  to  obtain  from  some  responsible  parties 
an  offer  to  construct  and  lay  down  a  cable.  Messrs. 
Grlass,  Elliot  &  Co.,  replied,  declaring  their  willingness 
to  undertake  the  work,  without  at  first  naming  the 
precise  terms.  They  wrote  to  him  under  date  of  Feb- 
ruary seventeenth : 

"  Sir:  In  reply  to  your  inquiries,  we  beg  to  state  that  we 
should  not  be  willing  to  manufacture  and  lay  a  Submarine 
Telegraph  Cable  across  the  Atlantic,  from  Ireland  to  New- 
foundland, assuming  the  entire  risk,  as  we  consider  that 
would  be  too  great  a  resijonsibility  for  any  single  firm  to 
undertake ;  but  we  are  so  confident  that  these  points  can  be 
connected  by  a  good  and  durable  cable,  that  we  are  willing 
to  contract  to  do  the  work,  and  stake  a  large  sum  upon  its 
successful  laying  and  working. 

"  We  shall  be  prepared  in  a  few  days,  as  soon  as  we  can 
get  the  necessary  information  in  regard  to  what  price  we 
can  charter  suitable  ships  for  the  service,  to  make  you  a 
definite  offer." 

Although  it  is  anticipating  a  few  months  in  time,  we 
may  give  liere  the  "  definite  offer,"  which  was  obtained 
by  Mr.  Field,  on  his  return  to  England  in  the  autumn  : 

"  London,  October  20,  1862. 
"  Cyrus  W.  Field,  Esq.,  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company: 

"Dear  Sir:  In  reply  to  your  inquiries,  we  beg  to  state, 
that  we  are  perfectly  confident  that  a  good  and  durable  Sub- 
marine Cable  can  be  laid  from  Ireland  to  Newfoundland, 


'I  J 


CAST  DOWN,   BUT   NOT  IN  DESPAIR. 


237 


and  are  willing  to  undertake  the  contract  upon  the  follow- 
ing conditions: 

"  First.  That  we  shall  be  paid  each  week  our  actual  dis- 
bursements for  labor  and  material. 

' '  Second.  That  when  the  cable  is  laid  and  in  working 
order,  we  shall  i-eceive  for  our  time,  services,  and  profit 
twenty  per  cent  on  the  actual  cost  of  the  line,  in  shares  of 
the  Company,  delivei-able  to  us,  in  twelve  equal  monthly 
instalments,  at  the  end  of  each  successive  month  whei*eat 
the  cable  shall  be  found  in  working  order. 

"  We  are  so  confident  that  this  enterprise  can  be  success- 
fully carried  out,  that  we  will  make  a  cash  subscription  for 
a  sum  of  twenty-five  thousand  pounds  sterling  in  the  ordi- 
nary capital  of  tlie  Company,  and  pay  die  calls  on  the  same 
when  made  by  the  Company. 

"  Annexed  we  beg  to  hand  you,  for  your  guidance,  a  list 
of  all  the  submarine  telegraph  cables  manufactured  and  laid 
by  our  firm  since  we  commenc  i  tliis  branch  of  our  busi- 
ness, the  whole  mileage  of  which,  with  the  exception  of  the 
short  one  between  Liverpool  and  Holyhead,  which  has  been 
taken  up,  is  at  this  time  in  perfect  and  successful  working 
order.  The  cable  that  we  had  the  honor  to  contract  for  and 
lay  down  for  the  French  Government,  connecting  France 
with  Algeria,  is  submerged  in  water  of  nearly  equal  depths 
to  any  we  should  have  to  encounter  between  Ireland  and 
Newfoundland. 

"  You  will  permit  us  to  suggest  that  the  shore  ends  of  the 
Atlantic  Cable  sliould  be  composed  of  very  heavy  wires,  as 
from  our  exj)erience  the  only  accidents  that  have  arisen  to 
any  of  the  cables  that  we  have  laid  have  been  caused  by 
ships'  anchors,  and  none  of  those  laid  out  of  anchorage 
ground  have  ever  cost  one  shilling  for  repairs. 


Ui 


238 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


¥■ 


"  The  cable  that  we  would  suggest  for  the  Atlantic  will 
be  an  improvement  on  all  those  yet  manufactured,  and  we 
firmly  believe  will  be  imperishable  when  once  laid. 
"  We  remain,  sir,  youi*s  faithfully, 

"Glass,  Elliot  &  Co." 

The  summer  of  this  year  IVIr.  Field  spent  in  Amer- 
ica, where  he  iippUed  himself  vigorously  to  raise  capi- 
tal for  the  new  enterprise.  To  this  end  he  visited  Bos- 
ton, Providence,  Philadelphia,  Albany,  and  Buffalo — 
to  address  meetings  of  merchants  and  others,  lie  used 
to  amuse  us  with  the  account  of  his  visit  to  the  first 
city,  where  he  was  honored  with  the  attendance  of  a 
large  array  of  "  the  solid  men  of  Boston,"  who  listened 
with  an  attention  that  was  most  flattering  to  the  pride 
of  the  speaker,  addressing  such  an  assemblage  in  the 
capital  of  his  native  State.  There  was  no  mistaking 
the  interest  they  felt  in  the  subject.  They  went  still 
farther,  they  passed  a  series  of  resolutions,  in  which 
they  applauded  the  projectetl  telegraph  across  the 
ocean  as  one  of  the  grandest  enterprises  ever  under- 
taken by  man,  which  they  proudly  commended  to  the 
confidence  and  support  of  the  American  public,  after 
Avhich  they  went  home,  feeling  that  they  had  done  tlie 
generous  thing  in  bestowing  upon  it  such  a  mark  of 
their  approbation.  J^iit  not  a  man  suhscrihed  a  dollar  ! 
Yet  it  is  not  necessarv  to  charge  them  witli  meanness 
or  hypocrisy.  No  doubt  they  felt  just  wliut  they  said. 
They  could  not  but  admire  the  courage  of  their  coun- 


if. 


CAST  DOWN,   BUT  NOT   IN  DESPAIR. 


239 


tryman.  It  was  inspiring  to  hear  him  talk.  Yet  these 
solid  men  were  never  lifted  off  their  feet  so  far  as  to 
forget  the  main  chance.  What  were  to  be  the  returns 
for  this  magnificent  adventure?  Peering  into  the 
future,  the  prospect  of  dividends  was  very  remote.  In 
fact  they  looked  upon  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  as  a  sort 
of  South  Sea  Bubble,  an  airy  fancy,  which  would  go 
up  like  a  balloon,  never  to  return  to  earth  again.  So, 
like  the  high  priest  and  the  Levite,  they  passed  by  on 
the  other  side. 

Other  cities  were  equally  gracious,  equally  compli- 
mentary, but  equally  prudent.  In  New  York  he  suc- 
ceeded better,  but  only  by  indefatigable  exertions. 
He  addressed  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  the  Board 
of  Brokers,  and  the  Corn  Exchange,  and  then  he  went 
almost  literally  from  door  to  door,  calling  on  mer- 
chants and  bankei-s  to  enlist  their  aid.  Tlie  result 
Avas,  subscriptions  amounting  to  about  seventy  thousand 
pounds,  the  whole  of  which  was  due  to  persevering 
personal  solicitation.  Even  of  those  who  subscril)ed, 
a  large  part  did  so  more  from  sympath3''  and  admira- 
tion of  his  indomitable  spirit  than  from  confidence  in 
the  success  of  the  enterprise. 

In  England,  however,  the  subject  was  better  under- 
stood. For  obvious  reasons,  the  science  of  submarine 
telegraph}'  had  made  greater  advances  in  that  country 
than  in  ours.  As  England  is  an  island,  she  is  obliged 
to  hold  all  her  telegraphic  communication  with   the 


240   STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

continent  by  cables  under  the  sea.  She  has  colonial 
possessions  in  all  parts  of  the  world.  A  power  that 
rules  so  large  a  part  of  the  earth  cannot  be  shut  up  in 
her  island  home.  No  one  has  depicted  the  extent 
of  her  dominion  in  nobler  phrase  than  our  own 
"Webster  when  he  speaks  of  the  imperial  sway  which 
"has  dotted  the  face  of  the  whole  globe  with  its 
possessions  and  military  posts,  whose  morning  drum- 
beat, following  the  sun  and  keeping  company  Avith  the 
hours,  encircles  the  whole  earth  with  one  continuous 
and  unbroken  strain  of  the  martial  airs  of  England." 
"Was  it  strange  that  this  mother  of  nations  should  reach 
out  her  long  arms  to  embrace  her  distant  children  ? 

Hence  it  was  that  the  subject  of  submarine  tele- 
graphs was  so  much  better  understood  in  England 
than  in  America,  not  only  by  scientific  men,  but  by 
capitalists.  The  appeal  could  be  made  to  them  with 
more  assurance  of  intelligent  sympathy.  And  yet  so 
vast  was  the  undertaking,  that  it  required  ceaseless 
effort  to  roll  the  stone  to  the  top  of  the  mountain,  and 
the  result  was  not  completely  achieved  till  the  begin- 
ning of  the  year  186-i. 


f,  ■  s 


m 


m 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


THE   EXPEDITION   OF   1865. 


It  is  a  long  night  which  has  no  morning.  At  last 
the  day  is  breaking.  "While  weary  eyes  are  watching 
the  East,  daylight  comes  over  the  sea.  Five  years 
have  passed  away,  and  thougli  the  time  seemed  long 
as  an  Arctic  winter,  that  only  made  more  bright  the 
rising  of  the  sun.  Those  years  of  patient  experiment, 
when  scientific  men  were  applying  tests  without  num- 
ber, and  submarine  lines  were  feeling  their  way  along 
the  deep-sea  floor  in  all  the  waters  of  the  world,  at  last 
brought  forth  their  fruit  in  that  renewed  confidence 
Avliich  is  the  forerunner  of  victory. 

So  strong  was  this  feeling,  that  as  early  as  August, 
1863,  although  the  capital  was  not  raised,  the  Board 
advertised  for  proposals  for  a  cable  suitable  to  be  laid 
across  the  Atlantic  Ocean ;  and  in  order  to  leave  in- 
vention entirel}"  unfettered,  abstained  from  any  dicta- 
tion as  to  the  form  or  materials  to  be  adopted,  merely 
stipulating  for  a  working  speed  of  eight  words  a 
minute. 

To  this  request  they  received,  in  the  course  of  a  few 

weeks,  seventeen  different  proposals  from  as  many 
16 


242 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


■  *'■■■  ' 

w 


coin  pan  ies,  many  of  them  firms  of  large  wealth  and 
experience.  These  different  tenders,  with  the  nu- 
merous specimens  of  cable  and  materials,  were  at 
once  submitted  to  a  Consulting  Committee  composed 
in  part  of  members  of  the  Committee  which  had 
.already  rendered  such  service  by  its  advice.  It  con- 
sisted of  Captain  Douglas  Galton,  William  Fairbairn, 
Professor  C.  Wheatstone,  "William  Whitworth  and 
Professor  William  Thomson,  There  were  no  more 
distinguished  engineers  and  electricians  in  the  Avorld. 
They  examined  all  the  proposals,  and  then,  taking  up 
one  by  one  the  different  samples  of  cable,  caused  them 
in  turn  to  be  subjected  to  the  severest  tests.  This 
took  a  long  time,  as  it  required  a  great  number  of 
experiments;  but  the  result  was  highly  satisfactory. 
The  Committee  were  all  of  one  mind,  and  recom- 
mended unanimously  that  the  Board  should  accept  the 
tender  of  Messrs.  Glass,  Elliot  &  Co.,  and  the  general 
principle  of  their  proposed  cable ;  but  advised  that 
before  settling  the  final  specification,  every  portion  of 
the  material  to  be  employed  should  be  tested  with  the 
greatest  care,  both  separately  and  in  combination,  so 
as  to  ascertain  what  further  improvements  could  be 
made.  To  this  the  manufacturers  readily  consented, 
feeling  a  noble  ambition  to  justify  the  confidence  of 
the  Committee  and  the  public.  They  provided  abund- 
ant materials  for  fresh  experiments.  N^ew  cables  were 
made  and  tested  in  different  lengths ;  and  experiments 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1805. 


S4d 


were  also  tried  upon  different  qualities  of  wire  and 
hemp,  that  were  to  compose  its  external  protection. 
The  result  of  all  these  investigations  was  the  selection 
of  a  model  which  seemed  to  combine  every  excellence, 
and  to  approacli  absolute  perfection. 

Such  was  the  cable  which  this  eminent  firm  offered 
to  manufacture,  and  to  lay  across  the  Atlantic,  and 
that  on  terms  so  favorable,  that  it  seemed  as  if  it  could 
not  be  difficult  to  raise  the  capital  and  proceed  with 
the  work.  Indeed,  a  contract  was  partially  made  to 
that  effect.  So  confident  was  Mr.  Field,  who  was 
then  in  London,  that  an  expedition  would  sail  the 
following  summer,  that  he  insured  his  stock,  part 
of  it  only  against  ordinary  sea-risks,  but  part  also 
to  be  laid  and  to  work!  But  hardly  had  he  left 
England  before  there  was  some  unforeseen  hitch  in 
the  arrangements,  the  money  was  not  forthcoming, 
or  some  of  the  conditions  were  not  complied  with, 
and  he  had  the  mortification  to  receive  letters,  say- 
ing that  the  whole  enterprise  was  postponed  for 
another  year! 

This  was  indeed  discouraging.  Yet  this  sudden 
dropping  of  the  scheme  did  not  imply  a  loss  of  interest 
or  of  faith  on  the  part  of  those  embarked  in  it.  They 
believed  in  it  as  much  as  ever.  But  the  general  public 
did  not  respond  to  the  call  for  more  capital.  Alas 
that  the  noblest  enterprises  should  so  often  be  delayed 
or  defeated  by  the  want  of  money !     Capital  is  always 


I  *A 


244   STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

cautious  and  timid,  and  follows  slowly  in  the  path  of 
great  discoveries.  If  Columbus,  instead  of  the  patron- 
age of  a  Queen  full  of  womanly  enthusiasm,  had  de- 
pended on  a  stock  company  for  the  means  for  his  expe- 
dition, he  might  never  have  sailed  from  the  shores  of 
Spain.  Happy  was  it  for  mankind  that  his  faith  and 
patience  did  not  wear  out,  while  going  from  court  to 
court,  and  kingdom  to  kingdom,  and  almost  begging 
bis  way  from  door  to  door  1 

But  it  is  not  in  human  nature — least  of  all  in  Amer- 
ican nature — to  despond  long.  Though  ten  years  of 
constant  defeat  would  seem  to  have  wrought  a  lasting 
discouragement,  yet  again  and  again  did  the  baffled 
spirit  of  enterprise  return  to  the  attempt.  In  January, 
1864,  Mr.  Field  was  once  more  on  his  way  to  England. 
He  found  the  Directors,  as  before,  deeply  interested  in 
the  enterprise,  and  wishing  it  success.  With  a  grateful 
heart  he  bore  witness  to  their  unfaltering  courage. 
But  mere  courage  and  good  wishes  would  not  lay  the 
Atlantic  Telegraph.  Yet  what  could  they  do  ?  They 
could  not  be  expected  to  advance  all  the  capital  them- 
selves. They  had  already  subscribed  liberally,  and  he 
could  not  ask  them  to  do  more.  But  Avith  all  the 
efforts  that  had  been  made  in  England  and  America, 
not  half  the  capital  was  yet  raised.  The  machinery 
was  in  a  dead  lock,  with  little  prospect  of  being  able 
to  move.  It  was  the  misfortune  of  the  enterprise  that 
there  was  no  one  man  who  made  it  his  sole  and  exclu- 


i 


V 


(/^icryyy..^u^  /ip'f^ty 


' 


THE  EXPEDITION  OP  1865. 


M5 


sivo  cliurgo.  Tho  Board  of  Directois  contained  sotno 
of  tho  best  men  in  London.  But  they  wore,  idmost 
witliout  exception,  engaged  in  very  largo  aflfiiirs  of 
their  own,  with  no  leisure  to  make  a  public  enterprise 
their  special  care.  To  insure  success,  it  needed  a  trial 
of  the  one-man  power — one  brain,  planning  night  and 
day ;  one  agency  incessantly  at  work,  stirring  up  di- 
rectors, contractors,  and  engineers ;  and  one  will  push- 
ing it  forward  by  main  strength.  This  was  the  force 
now  to  be  applied. 

The  first  element  needed  to  put  life  into  the  old 
system  was  an  infusion  of  new  blood — new  capital  and 
new  men.  "While  the  enterprise  was  in  this  state  of 
collapse,  Mr.  Field  addressed  himself  to  a  gentleman 
with  whom,  until  then,  he  had  no  personal  acquaint- 
ance, but  who  was  well  known  in  London  as  one  of 
the  largest  capitalists  of  Great  Britain — Mr.  Thomas 
Brassey.  Their  first  interview  was  somewhat  remark- 
able. Referring  to  it  a  few  months  after,  Mr.  Field 
said  : 

"When  I  arrived  in  tliis  country,  in  January  last,  tlie 
Atlantic  Telegraph  Company  trembled  in  the  balance.  We 
were  in  want  of  funds,  and  were  in  negotiations  with  tho 
government,  and  making  great  exertions  to  raise  the  money. 
At  this  juncture  I  was  introduced  to  a  gentleman  of  great 
integrity  and  enterprise,  who  is  well  known,  not  only  for  hia 
wealth,  but  for  his  foresight,  and  in  attempting  to  enlist  him 
in  our  cause  he  put  me  through  such  a  cross-exauiiuatiou  as 
I  had  never  before  experienced.     I  thought  I  was  iu  the  wit- 


t^ 


\  r  ■] 


i'l'i'^     i 


W'  ■  I*. 


;u 


246 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEOIlAPri. 


ness-box.  He  inquired  (if  dip  tlio  ))i'acticii])ility  of  tlu<  scheme 
— vvliat  it  would  pay,  and  every  tiling'  else  connected  with  it  ; 
but  before  I  left  him,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  hearing  him  say 
that  it  was  a  g\  3at  national  enterprise  that  ought  to  be  car- 
ried out,  and,  he  addi-il,  I  will  l)e  one  of  ten  to  find  the 
money  required  for  il.  From  tliat  day  to  this  he  has  never 
hesitated  about  it.  and  wlien  I  mention  his  name,  you  will 
know  him  as  a  man  whose  word  is  as  good  as  his  bond,  and 
as  for  his  bond,  there  is  uo  better  in  England." 

Having  thus  secured  one  powerful  ally,  Mr.  Field 
took  courage  in  tlie  liope  to  find  another.     He  says: 

"The  words  spoken  by  Mr.  Brassey  in  the  latter  part  of 
January,  '  Let  the  Electric  Telegraph  be  laid  between 
England  and  America,'  eiKomaged  us  all,  and  made  us 
believe  we  should  succeed  in  rai.'ung  the  necessajy  cajiital, 
and  I  then  went  to  work  to  fljid  nine  other  Thomas  Bras- 
seys  (I  did  not  know  whether  he  was  an  Englishman,  a 
Scotchman,  or  an  Irishman;  but  I  made  uj)  my  mind  that 
he  combined  all  the  good  qualities  of  every  one  of  them), 
and  after  considerable  search  I  n^^t  with  a  rich  friend  fiom 
Manchester,  Mr.  [now  Sir]  John  IVnder,  and  I  asked  him  if 
be  would  second  Mr.  Brassey,  and  walked  with  him  from  2S 
Pall  Mall  to  the  Hons.'  of  Commons,  of  which  he  is  a  mem- 
ber. Before  we  reached  the  House,  he  expres.sed  his  willing- 
ness to  do  so  to  an  equal  amount." 

This  was  putting  strong  arms  to  th(^  wheel.  A  few 
(lays  after,  a  eoml)ination  was  formed  to  carry  on  the 
wliole  business  of  inaknig  Submarine  Tinegraphs,  1)V 
a  union  of  the  Gutta-J\'rchi!  Company  with  tlie  firm 


5| 


\ 


'1*  ■  I  * 


i 

1 


Pi' 


SIR    JCiHN     PKNDER. 


M    :  I 


I 


I 


(^ 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1865. 


247 


of  Glass,  Elliot  &  Co.,  tlie  principal  manufacturers  of 
sea  cables,  making  one  grand  concern,  to  be  called 
The  Telegraph  Construction  and  Maintenance  Com- 
pany. These  two  great  capitalists  entered  into  the 
new  organization,  of  which  Mr.  Pender  was  made 
Chairman.  The  Gutta-Percha  Company  brought  in 
still  further  strength  to  the  joint  enterprise,  in  the  per- 
son of  ^fr.  "Willoughby  Smith,  their  electrician,  and  of 
Mr.  John  Chatterton,  the  inventor  of  the  insulat- 
ing material  known  as  Chatterton's  Compound.  The 
union  of  all  these  men  made  a  combination  of  prac- 
tical skill  anil  financial  ability,  such  as  could  be  found 
n  few  companies  in  England  or  in  the  world.  Mr.  K. 
A.  Glass  \vas  chosen  Managing  Director — a  gentleman 
who  seemed  born  to  be  a  manager,  such  power  had  he 
of  gathering  about  him  talent  in  every  department  and 
combining  all  into  one  organization.  Reenforced  by 
such  powerful  aid,  the  new  Company  now  came  for- 
ward, and  offered  sit  one  stroke  to  take  all  the  remain- 
ing stock  of  the  Compan}'.  This  was  more  than  half 
the  whole  capital.  As  yet,  of  tlie  £600,000  required, 
but  ii2S5,000  had  been  subscribed.  Xow  this  princely 
Company  offered  to  take  \h<-  balance  themselves — 
£315,000.  They  did  more,  they  took  £loO,000  of 
bonds :  and  so  by  one  dead  lift  these  stalwart  Eng- 
lishmen took  the  whole  enterprise  on  their  broad 
shoulders.  From  that  houi-  the  problem  was  solved. 
Thus   lifter  a   dead   lock   of   six    months   the    wheels 


i1 

i 


I 


It,  *  t* 


348        STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

were  unloosed,  and  the  gigantic  machinery  begun  to 
revolve. 

This  was  a  triumph  worthy  to  be  honored  in  the 
■way  that  Englishmen  love,  by  a  little  festivity  ;  and 
as  it  chanced  to  be  now  ten  years  since  Mr.  Field  had 
embarked  in  the  enterprise,  the  pleasant  thought  oc- 
curred to  him  of  getting  his  friends  together  to  cele- 
brate the  anniversary.  Accordingly,  on  the  fifteenth 
of  March,  he  invited  them  to  dine  together  at  the  Buck- 
ingham Palace  Hotel.  It  was  a  joyous  occasion,  and 
called  forth  the  usual  amount  of  toasts  and  speeches. 
Of  the  latter,  those  of  Mr.  Adams,  the  American  Min- 
ister, and  of  John  Bright,  were  widely  copied  in  the 
United  States.  The  next  day  was  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Company,  v"hen  the  Chair- 
man, the  Right  Hon.  James  Stuart  Wortley,  thus 
referred  to  the  gathering  of  the  night  before : 

"Wiihout  saying  any  thing  to  detract  from  my  deep  grati- 
tude to  tlie  otlier  Directors,  I  cannot  help  especially  alluding 
to  Mr.  Cyrus  Field,  who  is  present  to-duy,  and  who  has 
crossed  the  Atlantic  thirty-one  times  in  the  service  of  this 
Company,  havnng  celebrated  at  his  table  yesterday  the  anni- 
versary of  the  tenth  year  of  the  day  when  he  first  left  Bos- 
ton in  the  service  of  the  Company.  Collected  I'ound  his 
table  last  night  was  a  company  of  distinguished  men — mem- 
bers of  Parliament,  great  capitalists,  distinguished  merchants 
and  manufacturers,  engineers  and  men  of  science,  such  as  is 
rarely  found  together  even  in  the  highest  house  in  this  great 
jnetropolis.     It  was  very  agreeable  to  see  an  Aiiioricau  citizen 


9 


I!' 


THE  EXPF]DITION  OF  1865. 


249 


1 


so  surrounded.  It  was  still  more  gratifying',  inasmuch  as  we 
were  there  to  celebrate  the  approaching  accomplishment  of 
the  Atlantic  Telegraph." 

This  was  a  congratulation  on  an  e.scape  from  death, 
for  their  cberislied  scheme  had  just  passed  tliroug-h  a 
critical  period  of  its  liistory.  The  enterprise  had  been 
in  great  danger  of  abandonment— at  least  for  years,  a 
peril  from  Avhich  it  had  been  rescued  only  by  the  most 
prompt  and  vigorous  effort. 

Thus  after  infinite  toil,  the  wreck  of  old  disasters 
was  cleared  away,  and  tlie  mighty  task  begun  anew. 
The  works  of  the  Telegraph  Construction  and  Main- 
tenance Company  were  the  largest  in  the  world,  and 
all  their  resources  were  now  put  in  I'equisition.  Xever 
did  greater  care  preside  over  a  public  enterpi-ise.  It  was 
a  case  in  which  the  motive  of  interest  was  seconded 
or  overborne  by  pride  and  ambition.  A  cable  was  to 
be  made  to  span  the  Atlantic  Ocean,  and  to  join  the 
hemispheres ;  and  they  were  determined  to  produce  a 
work  that  should  be  as  nearly  perfect  as  liuman  skill 
could  make  it.  The  Scientific  Committee,  that  had  so 
long  investigated  the  subject,  had  approved  a  particular 
form  of  cable,  as  '•  tlie  one  most  calculated  to  insure 
success  in  the  present  state  of  our  experimental  knowl- 
edge respecting  deep-sea  cables,"  but  at  the  same  time 
recommended  the  utmost  vigilance  at  every  stuo-e  of 
the  manufacture.  These  precautions  deserve  to  be 
noted,   as    showing   with    what    jealous   care   science 


f  >  •■ 


uji 


m 


ii! 


250 


STORY   OF  TIIR   ATLANTIC   TELFXJRAPII. 


watches  over  the  birth  of  a  great  enterprise,  and  ])re- 
scribes  the  conditions  of  success.     They  I'ecommended  : 

Tliat  the  conductivity  of  the  wire  should  be  fixed  at  a 
higfli  standard,  certainly  not  less  than  eif;fhty-live  i)er  cent; 
that  the  cable  sliould  be  at  least  equal  to  tlie  best  ever  made; 
that  the  core  sliould  be  electrically  perfect;  that  it  should  be 


1 


OLD   ATLANTIC   CABLE,    1858. 


■'' 


«  I 


Ni 


NEW   ATLANTIC    CA15LE,    18G5. 

tested  under  hydraulic  pressure,  and  at  the  highest  pressure 
attainable  in  the  tanks  at  the  Company's  works ;  that  after 
this  iiressure,  the  core  should  be  examined  again,  and  before 
receiving  its  outer  covering,  l)e  required  to  pass  the  full  elec- 
trical test  underwater;  that  carefvil  and  fi-equent  mechanical 
tests  be  made  upon  the  iron  wii-e  and  hemp  as  to  their  strength ; 
that  special  care  be  given  to  the  joints,  where  different 
lengths  of  cable  were  spliced  together  ;  and  that  when  com- 


THE  EXPEDITION  OP   18G5. 


251 


pleted,  the  whole  he  tested  under  water  for  some  length  of 
time,  at  a  temperature  of  seveuty-five  degrees. 

Tliis  was  higher  b\'  forty  degrees  tlian  the  tempera- 
ture of  rlie  Athintic.  The  insulution  is  improved  by 
cokl;  so  tiiat,  if  it  remained  jierfect  in  this  warm  water, 
it  eoukl  not  fail  in  tiie  icy  depths  of  the  cjcean. 

After  passing  tlirougli  sucli  elaborate  tests,  all  will 
be  glad  to  see  the  final  product  of  so  much  care  and 
skill.  As  the  long  lino  begins  to  reel  off  from  the 
great  Avheels  and  drutns,  we  may  examine  it  in  its  com- 
pleted and  more  perfect  form.  It  is  only  necessary  to 
compare  it  with  the  cable  laid  in  1858,  to  show  its 
immense  superiority.  A  glance  at  the  two  as  they 
appear  on  the  preceding  page  will  show  that  the  cable 
had  yroiou  since  first  it  was  planted  in  the  ocean,  as  if 
it  were  a  living  product  of  the  sea.  This  growth  had 
been  in  every  part,  from  core  to  circumference. 

First,  the  central  copper  wire,  which  was  the  spinal 
cord,  the  nerve  along  which  the  centre  current  was  to 
run,  was  nearly  three  times  as  large  as  before.  Prof. 
Thomson  had  long  seen  that  this  was  a  condition  of 
success.  While  joining  heartily  in  the  attempts  of 
1857-58,  he  feL  that  an  error  was  committed  in  the 
smallness  of  the  cable ;  that  the  copper  conductors  and 
the  gutta-percha  covering  should  both  be  much  larger. 
The  old  conductor  was  a  strand  consisting  of  seven 
fine  wires,  six  laid  round  one,  and  weighed  only  one 
hundred  and  seven  pounds  to  the  mile.     The  new^  was 


. 


I 


253 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPfl. 


r  .  I 


composed  of  the  same  number  of  wires,  but  weighed 
three  hundred  pounds  to  the  mile.  As  it  was  made 
of  the  finest  copper  that  could  be  obtained  in  the 
world,  it  was  a  perfect  conductor.  Next,  to  secure 
insulation,  it  was  first  imbedded  for  solidity  in  Cliat- 
terton's  compound,  a  preparation  impervious  to  water, 
and  then  covered  with  four  layers  of  gutta-percha, 
which  were  laid  on  alternately  with  foui*  thin  layers  of 
Chatterton's  compound.  The  old  cable  had  but  three 
coatings  of  guttii-percha,  with  nothing  between.  Its 
entire  insulation  Aveighed  but  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
one  pounds  to  the  mile,  while  that  of  the  new  weighed 
four  hundred  pounds. 

But  a  conductor  ever  so  perfect,  with  insulation 
complete,  w^as  useless  without  proper  external  pro- 
tection, to  guard  it  against  the  dangers  which  must 
attend  the  long  and  difficult  process  of  laying  it  across 
the  ocean.  The  old  cable  had  broken  a  number  of 
times.  The  new  must  be  made  stronger.  To  this  end 
it  Avas  incased  with  ten  solid  wires  of  the  best  iron, 
or  rather,  of  a  soft  steel,  like  that  used  in  the  making 
of  Whitworth's  cannon.  This  made  the  cable  much 
heavier  than  before.  The  old  cable  weighed  but 
twenty  cwt.  to  the  mile,  while  the  new  one  reached 
thirty-five  cwt.  and  three  quarters.  But  mere  size 
and  weight  Avere  nothing,  except  as  they  indicated 
increased  strength.  This  Avas  secured,  not  only  by 
the  larger  iron  wires,  but  by  a  further  coating  of  rope. 


fi 


THE  EXPEDITION  OP   1805. 


353 


Each  wire  was  surrounded  separately  with  five  strands 
of  Manilla  yarn,  saturated  with  a  preservative  com- 
pound, and    the  whole  laid   spirally  round    the  core, 
which  latter  was    padded  with  ordinary  hemp,  satu- 
rated with  the  same  preservative  mixture.     This  rope 
covering  was  important  in  several  respects.      It  kept 
the  wires  from  coming  in  contact  with  the  salt  water, 
by  which  they  might  be  corroded  ;  and  while  it  added 
greatly  to  the  strength  of  the  cable,  it  gave  it  also  its 
own  flexibility— so  thitt  while  it  had  the  strength  of  an 
iron  chain,  it  had  also  the  lightness  and  flexibility  of 
a  common  ship's  rope.     This  union  of  two  qualities 
was  all-important.     The  great  prol^lem    had    been  to 
combine  strength  with  flexibility.     Mere  dead  weight 
was   an    objection.     The   new    cable,    though    nearly 
twice  as  heavy  as  the  old  in  air,  when   immersed  in 
water,  weighed  but  a  trifle  more  ;  so  that  it  was  really 
much  lighter  in  proportion  to  its  size.     This  increased 
lightness  was  a  very  important  matter  in  laying  the 
cable,  as  it  caused  it  to  sink  slowly.     The  old  cable, 
though  smaller,  was  heavy  almost  as  a  rod  of  iron,  so 
that,  as  it  ran  out,  it  dropped  at  an  angle  which  exposed 
it  to  great  danger  in  case  of  a  sudden  lurcli  of  the  ship. 
Thus  in  1857  it  was  broken  by  the  stern  of  the  Niagara 
being  thrown  up  on  a  wave  just  as  the  brakes  were 
shut  down.     Now  the  cable,  being  partially  buoyed  by 
the  rope,  Avould  float  out  to  a  great  distance  from  the 
ship,  and  sink  down  slowly  in  the  deep  waters. 


I 


Pi 


264 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELKGUAPIl. 


f;  r 


By  this  combination  of  rope  and  iron,  a  cable  was 
secured  two  and  a  half  times  as  strong  as  the  old — the 
breaking  strain  of  the  former  iiaving  been  three  tons 
five  cwt.,  and  of  the  latter  seven  tons  and  fifteen  cwt. 
Or,  to  put  it  in  another  form,  the  contract  strain  of  the 
former  was  less  than  five  times  its  own  weight  per 
mile  in  water ;  so  that  if  the  cable  had  been  laid  in 
some  parts  of  the  Atlantic,  where  the  ocean  is  more 
than  five  miles  deep,  it  would  have  broken  untler  the 
enormous  strain.  But  the  contract  strain  of  the  new 
cable  was  equal  to  eleven  times  its  Aveight  per  mile  in 
water,  which,  as  the  greatest  depth  of  water  to  be 
passed  was  but  two  and  a  half  miles,  rendered  the 
cable  more  than  four  times  as  strong  as  was  required. 

This  great  chain  which  was  to  bind  the  sea  was  to 
be  2,300  nautical  miles  long,  or  ne-u'ly  2,700  statute 
miles !  But  where  could  tiiis  enormous  bulk  be 
stowed  ?  Its  weiglit  would  sink  the  S})anisli  Armada. 
In  1858,  the  cable  loaded  down  two  of  the  largest 
ships  of  war  in  the  world,  the  Niagara  and  the  Aga- 
menmon.  Yet  now  one  much  larger  and  bulkier  was 
to  be  taken  on  board.  This  might  have  proved  a 
serious  embarrassment,  but  that  a  few  years  before 
there  had  been  built  in  England  a  ship  of  enormous 
proportions.  The  Great  Eastern,  whoio  iron  walls  had 
been  reared  by  the  genius  of  Brunei,  had  l)een  for  ten 
years  waiting  for  "  a  mission."  xis  a  specimen  of 
marine  architecture  she  was  perfect.     She  walked  the 


il-;i,. 


THE  EXPHDITION   OF  1865.  Soy 

watei's  in  towering  priilo,  scarce  bending  her  imperial 
head  to  the  waves  that  broke  against  her  sides,  as 
against  the  rocks  of  the  sliore.  But  with  all  her  noble 
qualities,  slio  was  too  great  for  the  ordinary  demands  of 
connnercci.  Her  very  size  was  against  her;  and  while 
smaller  ships,  on  which  she  looked  down  with  contempt, 
were  continually  flying  to  and  fro  across  the  sea,  this 

leviathan, 

Hugest  of  all  God's  works 
That  swim  tlie  ocean  stream, 

could  find  nothing  worthy  of  her  greatness.  Here 
then  was  the  vessel  to  receive  the  Atlantic  cable. 

Seeing  her  fitness  for  the  purpose,  a  few  of  the  gen- 
tlemen who  were  active  in  reviving  the  Atlantic  Telo- 
grapli  combined  to  ])urchase  hei\  as  she  was  about  to 
be  s(-)ld.  One  of  them  went  down  with  all  s|)eed  to 
Liverpool,  and  the  next  day  telegraphed  that  the  big 
ship  was  theirs.  Tlie  new  owners  at  once  put  her  at 
the  service  of  the  Atlantic  Companx',  with  the  express 
agreement  that  any  compensation  for  her  use  should 
depend  on  the  success  of  the  expedition. 

Next  to  the  good  fortune  of  finding  such  a  ship 
read}'  to  their  hands,  was  tiiat  of  finding  an  officer 
■worthy  to  command  her.  Captain  James  Anderson, 
of  tlie  China,  one  of  tlie  Cunard  steamers,  had  long 
been  known  to  the  travelling  public,  both  of  England 
and  America,  and  no  one  ever  crossed  the  sea  with  him 
without  the  strongest  feeling  of  respect  for  his  manly 


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256 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


and  searaanly  qualities.  A  thorough  master  of  his  pro- 
fession, having  followed  the  sea  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen- 
tury, he  was  also  a  man  of  much  general  intelligence, 
and  of  no  small  scientific  attainments.  But  it  was 
something  more  than  this  which  inspired  such  confi- 
dence. It  was  his  ceaseless  watchfulness.  He  always 
carried  with  him  a  feeling  of  religious  responsibility 
for  the  lives  of  all  on  board,  and  for  every  interest 
committed  to  him.  A  man  of  few  words,  modest  in 
manner,  he  was  yet  clear  in  judgment  and  prompt  in 
action.  This  vigilance  was  especially  marked  in  mo- 
ments of  danger.  "When  a  storm  was  gathering,  all 
who  saw  that  tall  figure  on  the  wheel-house,  watching 
with  a  keen  eye  every  spar  in  the  ship  and  every  cloud 
in  the  hori?;on,  felt  a  new  securit}'^  from  being  under 
his  care.  Such  was  the  man  to  be  put  in  charge  of  a 
great  expedition.  He  was  recommended  by  Mr.  Field 
in  the  strongest  terms,  and  was  chosen  unanimously  by 
the  Board.  The  Cunard  Company,  with  great  gener- 
osity, consented  to  give  up  his  services,  valuable  as 
they  were,  to  forward  an  enterprise  of  such  public 
interest.  Being  thus  free,  he  accepted  the  trust,  and 
entered  upon  it  with  enthusiasm.  How  well  he  ful- 
filled the  expectations  of  all,  the  sequel  will  show.* 

*  Nearly  a  year  nd  a  half  after  this,  when  the  cable  was  safely  landed 
in  Newfoundland,  Captain  Anderson,  still  on  board  the  Great  Eastern, 
in  a  letter  to  a  friend,  thus  referred  to  his  flrst  connection  with  the 
Atlantic  Telegraph  :  — 

"I  cannot  tell  you  how  I  have  felt  since  our  success.    It  is  only  sev- 


SIH     JAMES    ANDERSON. 


THE   EXPEDITION  OF   1865. 


257 


The  work  now  went  on  with  s}3eed.  The  wheels 
began  to  hum,  and  the  great  drums  to  reel  off  that 
line  which,  considering  the  distance  it  was  to  span, 
was  hardly  to  be  measured  by  miles,  but  rather  by 
degrees  of  the  earth's  surface.  Mere  figures  give  but 
a  vague  impression  of  vast  spaces.  But  it  is  a  curious 
fact,  ascertained  by  an  exact  computation,  that  if  all 
the  wires  of  copper  and  of  iron,  with  the  layers  that 
made  up  the  core  and  the  outer  covering,  and  the 
strands  of  yarn  tiiat  were  twisted  into  this  one  knotted 
sea-cable,  were  placed  end  to  end,  the  whole  length 
would  reach  from  the  earth  to  the  moon  ! 

enteen  months  siuce  I  first  walked  up  to  the  top  of  the  paddle-box  of 
this  ship  at  Sheerness,  upon  a  dark,  rainy  night— reviewed  my  past 
career  in  my  mind,  and  tried  to  look  into  the  future,  to  see  what  I  ^ad 
undertaken,  and  realize  if  possible  what  this  new  step  would  develop.  I 
cannot  say  I  believed  much  in  cables  ;  I  rather  think  I  did  not ;  but  I 
did  believe  Mr.  Field  was  an  earnest  man,  of  great  force  of  character, 
and  worklnjj  under  a  strong  conviction  that  what  he  was  attemptins?  was 
thoroughly  practicable ;  and  I  knew  enough  of  the  names  witli  wliich  he 
had  associated  himself  In  the  enterprise  to  feel  that  It  was  a  real,  true, 
honest  effort,  worthy  of  all  the  energy  and  application  of  one's  man- 
hood ;  and  come  what  might  in  the  future,  I  resolved  to  do  my  very 
utmost,  and  to  do  nothing  else  until  it  was  over.  More  completely  how- 
ever than  my  resolve  foreshadowed,  I  dropped  inch  by  inch,  or  step  by 
step,  Into  the  work,  until  I  had  no  mind,  no  soul,  no  sleep,  that  was  not 
tinged  with  cable.  In  a  word  I  accuse  Mr.  Field  of  having  dragged  me 
into  a  vortex,  that  I  could  not  get  out  of,  ami  did  not  wisli  to  try — and 
the  sum  total  of  all  this  is,  to  lay  a  threiid  across  an  ocean  !  Dr.  Russell 
compared  it  to  an  elephant  stretching  a  cobweb,  and  there  lay  its  very 
danger:  the  more  you  multiply  the  mechanism,  the  more  you  increase 
the  risk." 

17 


258        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


As  it  came  from  the  works  in  its  completed  state,  it 
was  plunged  in  water,  to  make  it  familiar  with  the  ele- 
ment which  was  to  be  its  future  home.  In  the  yards- 
of  the  Company  stood  eiglit  large  tanks,  which  could 
hold  each  a  hundred  and  forty  miles.  Here  the  cable 
was  coiled  to  "  hibernate,"  till  it  should  be  wanted  for 
use  the  coming  spring. 

Seeing  the  work  thus  well  under  way,  with  no 
chance  of  another  disastrous  check,  Mr.  Field  left 
England  with  heart  at  rest,  and  returned  to  America 
for  the  winter.  But  the  first  days  of  spring  saw  him 
again  on  the  Atlantic.  He  reached  England  on  the 
eighteenth  of  March.  His  visit  was  more  satisfactory 
than  a  year  before.  The  Avork  was  now  well  ad- 
vanced. It  was  a  goodly  sight  to  go  down  to  Mor- 
den  Wharf  at  Greenwich,  and  see  the  huge  machinery 
in  motion,  spinning  off  the  leagues  of  dee^vsea  line. 
The  triumph  apparently  was  near  at  hand.  It  seemed 
indeed  a  predestined  thing  that  the  cable  should  final- 
ly be  laid  in  the  year  of  grace  1865 — the  end  for  which 
he  had  so  faithfully  toiled  since  185S — seven  weary 
years — as  long  as  Jacob  served  for  Rachel !  But,  less 
fortunate  than  Jacob,  he  was  doomed  to  one  more 
disappointment.  At  present,  however,  all  looked  well, 
and  he  could  not  but  regard  the  prospect  with  satis- 
faction. 

Having  no  more  drudgery  of  raising  money,  he  had 
now  a  few  weeks'  leisure  to  take  a  voyage  up  the 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1865. 


259 


Mediterranean.  The  canal  across  the  Isthmus  of  Suez, 
which  had  been  so  long  in  progress,  under  tlie  super- 
vision of  French  engineers,  was  at  length  so  far  ad- 
vanced that  the  waters  of  the  Mediterranean  were 
about  to  mingle  with  those  of  the  Red  Sea,  and  dele- 
gates were  invited  to  be  present  from  all  parts  of  the 
world.  An  invitation  had  been  sent  to  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  in  New  York,  and  Mr.  Field,  then  starting 
for  Europe,  was  appointed  as  its  representative.  The 
visit  was  one  of  extraordinary  interest.  The  occasion 
brought  together  a  number  of  eminent  engineers  from 
every  country  of  Eurojie,  in  company  with  whom  this 
stranger  from  the  Kew  World  visited  the  most  ancient 
of  kingdoms  to  see  the  spirit  of  modern  enterprise  in- 
vading the  land  of  the  Pyramids. 

He  returned  to  England  about  the  first  of  May  to 
find  tlie  work  nearly  completed.  Tiie  cable  was  al- 
most done,  and  a  large  part  of  it  was  already  coiled 
on  board  the  ship.  This  was  an  operation  of  much 
interest,  wiiicli  deserves  to  be  described.  The  manu- 
facture had  begun  on  the  first  of  September,  and  had 
gone  on  for  eight  months  without  ceasing,  the  works 
turning  out  fourteen  miles  a  day  even  during  the  short 
days  of  winter.  As  the  spring  advanced,  and  the 
days  grew  longer,  tlie  amount  was  of  course  much  in- 
creased. But  by  the  last  of  January  tliey  had  already 
accumulated  about  nine  hundred  miles  of  completed 
cable,  when  began  the  long  and  tedious  work  of  trans- 


260        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGllAPIT. 

ferring  it  to  tlie  Great  Eastern.  It  was  thus  slow,  be- 
cause it  could  not  bo  made  directly  from  the  yard  to 
the  ship.  The  depth  of  water  at  Greenwich  was  not 
such  as  to  allow  the  Great  Eastern  to  bo  brought  up 
alongside  the  wharf.  She  was  lying  at  Sheerness, 
thirty  miles  below,  and  the  cable  had  to  be  put  on 
board  of  lightei-s  and  taken  down  to  where  she  lay  in 
the  stream.  For  this  purpose  the  Admiralty  had  fur- 
nished to  the  Company  two  old  hulks,  the  Iris  and 
the  Amethyst,  which  took  their  loads  in  turn.  When 
the  former  had  taken  on  board  some  two  liundred  and 
fifty  tons  of  cable,  she  was  towed  down  to  the  side 
of  the  Great  Eastern,  and  the  other  took  her  place. 

This  was  an  operation  wliich  could  not  be  done  with 
speed.  With  all  the  men  who  could  be  employed,  they 
coiled  on  board  only  about  two  miles  an  hour,  or 
twenty  miles  a  day — at  which  rate  it  would  take  some 
five  months.  Tiie  work  began  on  the  nineteenth  of 
January,  early  in  the  morning,  and  continued  till 
June,  before  all  was  safely  stowed  on  board.  The 
Great  Eastern  herself  had  been  fitted  up  to  receive 
her  enormous  burden.  It  was  an  object  to  stow  the 
cable  in  as  few  coils  as  possible.  Yet  it  could  not  be 
all  piled  in  one  mass.  Such  a  dead  weight  in  the 
centre  of  the  ship  would  cause  her  to  roll  fearfully. 
If  coiled  in  one  circle,  it  was  computed  that  it  would 
nearly  fill  Astley's  theatre  from  the  floor  of  the  cir- 
cus to  the  roof — making  a  pile  fifty-eight  feet  wide 


(I 


I' 


THE  EXPEDITION  OP  1865. 


S61 


and  sixty  feet  high.  To  distribute  this  enormous 
bulk  and  weight,  it  was  disposed  in  three  tanks — 
one  aft,  one  amidships,  and  one  forward.  The  lat- 
ter, from  the  shape  of  tiie  sliip,  was  a  little  smaller 
than  the  others,  and  held  only  six  hundred  and  thirty- 
three  miles  of  cable,  while  the  two  former  held  a  lit- 
tle over  eight  hundred  each.  All  were  made  of 
thick  wrought-iron  plates,  and  water-tight,  so  that 
the  cable  could  be  kept  under  water  till  it  was  im- 
mersed in  the  sea. 

Thus  with  her  spacious  chambers  prepared  for  the 
reception  of  her  guest,  the  Great  Eastern  opened  her 
doors  to  take  in  the  Atlantic  cable ;  and  long  as  it  was, 
and  wide  and  high  the  space  it  filled,  it  found  ample 
verge  and  room  within  her  capacious  sides.  Indeed, 
it  was  the  wonder  of  all  who  beheld  it,  how,  like  a 
monster  of  the  sea,  she  devoured  all  that  other  ships 
could  bring.  The  Iris  and  the  Amethyst  came  up  time 
after  time  and  disgorged  their  iron  contents.  Yet  this 
leviathan  swallowed  ship-load  after  ship-load,  as  if  she 
could  never  be  satisfied.  A  writer  who  visited  her 
when  the  cable  was  nearly  all  on  board,  was  at  a  loss 
to  find  it.  He  looked  along  the  deck,  from  stem  to 
stern,  but  not  a  sign  of  it  appeared.  How  he  searched, 
and  how  the  wonder  grew,  he  tells  in  a  published  let- 
ter. After  describing  his  approach  to  the  ship,  and 
climbing  up  her  sides  and  his  survey  of  her  deck,  he 
proceeds : 


868 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


"But  it  is  timo  that  wo  should  look  after  what  we  have 
mainly  come  to  see,  the  telegraph  cable.  To  our  intense 
astonishment,  we  behold  it  nowhere,  although  informed  that 
there  are  nearly  two  thousand  miles  of  it  already  on  board, 
and  the  remaining  piece — a  piece  long  enough  to  stretch 
from  Land's  End  to  John  O'Groat's — is  in  course  of  ship- 
ment. We  walk  up  and  down  on  the  deck  of  the  Great 
Eastern  without  seeing  this  gigantic  chain  which  is  to  bind 
together  the  Old  and  the  New  World  ;  and  it  is  only  on 
liaving  the  place  pointed  out  to  us  that  we  find  where  the 
cable  lies  and  by  what  process  it  is  taken  on  board.  On  the 
side  opposite  to  where  we  landed,  deep  below  the  deck  of  our 
giant,  there  is  moored  a  ves.sel  surmounted  by  a  timber  struc- 
ture resembling  a  house,  and  from  this  vessel  the  wonderful 
telegraph  cable  is  drawn  silently  into  the  immense  womb  of 
the  Great  Eastern.  The  work  is  done  so  quietly  and  noise- 
lessly, by  means  of  a  small  steam-engine,  that  we  scarcely 
notice  it.  Indeed,  were  it  not  pointed  out  to  us,  we  would 
never  think  that  that  little  iron  cord,  about  an  inch  in 
diameter,  which  is  sliding  over  a  few  rollers  and  through  a 
wooden  table,  is  a  thing  of  world-wide  fame — a  thing  which 
may  influence  the  life  of  whole  nations;  nay,  which  may 
affect  the  march  of  civilization.  Following  the  direction  in 
which  tlie  iron  rope  goes,  we  now  come  to  the  most  mar- 
vellous sight  yet  seen  on  board  the  Great  Eastern.  We  find 
ourselves  iti  a  little  wooden  cabin,  and  look  down,  over  a 
railing  at  the  side,  into  an  immense  cavern  below.  Tliis 
cavern  is  one  of  the  three  '  tanks '  in  which  the  two-thou- 
sand-mile cable  is  finding  a  temporary  home.  The  passive 
agent  of  electricity  comes  creeping  in  here  in  a  beautiful, 
silent  manner,  and  is  deposited  in  spiral  coils,  layer  upon 
layer.    It  is  almost  dark  at  the  immense  depth  below,  and 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1865. 


868 


we  can  only  dimly  discern  the  liumaii  figures  through  whose 
hands  the  coil  pusses  to  its  bed.  Suddenly,  however,  the 
men  begin  singing.  They  intone  a  low,  plaintive  song  of 
the  sea;  something  like  Kingsley's 

'  Throe  flshers  went  sailing  away  to  the  West, 
Away  to  the  West  as  the  sun  went  down — * 

the  sounds  of  which  rise  up  from  the  dark,  deep  cavern  with 
startling  effect,  and  produce  an  indescribable  impression. 

"We  proceed  on  ;  but  the  song  of  the  sailors  who  are 
taking  charge  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  cable  is  haunting 
us  like  a  dream.  In  vain  our  guide  conducts  us  all  over 
the  big  ship,  through  miles  of  galleries,  passages,  staircases, 
and  promenades  ;  through  gorgeous  saloons,  full  of  mir- 
rors, marbles,  paintings,  and  upholstery,  made  '  regardless 
of  expense  ; '  and  through  buildings  crowded  with  glitter- 
ing steam  apparatus  of  gigantic  dimensions,  where  the 
latent  power  of  coal  and  water  creates  the  force  which 
propels  this  monster  vessel  over  the  seas.  In  vain  our  at- 
tention is  directed  to  all  these  sights  ;  we  do  not  admire 
them  ;  our  imagination  is  used  up.  The  echo  of  the  sailors' 
song  in  the  womb  of  the  Great  Eastern  will  not  be  ban- 
ished from  our  mind.  It  raises  visions  of  the  future  of 
the  mystic  iron  coil  under  our  feet — how  it  will  roll  fortli 
again  from  its  narrow  berth  ;  how  it  will  sink  to  the  bot- 
tom of  the  Atlantic,  or  hang  from  mountain  to  mountain 
far  below  the  stormy  waves  ;  and  how  two  great  nations, 
offsprings  of  one  race  and  pioneei-s  of  civilization,  will 
speak  through  this  wonderful  coil,  annihilating  distance 
and  time.  Who  can  help  dreaming  here,  on  the  spot  where 
we  stand  ?  For  it  is  truly  a  marvellous  romance  of  civiliza- 
tion, this  Great  Eastern  and  this  Atlantic  Telegraph  cable. 


'  ■— r 


I    I 


204        STOIiy  OP  TIIK  ATLANTrO  TELEORAPH. 

Even  should  our  ajro  produce  nothing  olso,  it  alone  would  be 
the  triumph  of  our  age." 

As  tho  work  approached  completion,  public  interest 
revived  in  the  stupemlous  undertakin*^,  and  crowds  of 
wonder-seekers  came  down  from  London  to  see  the 
preparations  for  the  expedition.  Even  if  not  admitted 
on  board,  they  found  a  satisfaction  in  sailing  round  tho 
great  ship,  in  whoso  mighty  bosom  was  coiled  this 
huge  sea-serpent.  It  had  also  many  distinguished  vis- 
itors. Among  others,  the  Prince  of  Wales  came  to  see 
the  ocean  girdle  which  was  to  link  the  British  islands 
with  his  future  dominions  boN'ond  the  sea. 

At  length,  on  the  twenty-ninth  of  May,  almost  tho 
last  da}'  of  Spring,  the  manufacture  of  the  cable  was 
finished.  The  machines  which  for  eight  m<mths  had 
been  in  a  constant  whirl,  made  their  last  round.  The 
tinkling  of  a  bell  announced  that  the  machinery  was 
empty,  and  tho  mighty  work  stood  completed.  It 
only  remainetl  that  it  siiould  be  got  on  board,  and  the 
ship  prepared  for  her  voyage.  Hundreds  of  busy 
hands  were  at  work  without  ceasing,  and  yet  it  was  six 
weeks  before  she  was  ready  to  put  to  sea. 

It  mav  well  be  believed  that  it  was  no  small  affair 
to  equip  such  an  ex))edltion.  Beside  the  enormous 
burden  of  the  cable  itself,  the  Great  Eastern  had  to 
take  on  board  seven  or  eight  thousand  tons  of  coal, 
enough  for  a  fleet,  to  feed  her  fires.  Then  she  carried 
about  five  hundred  men,  for  whom  she  had  to  make 


THE  KXPKDITION   ol'   1805. 


ari5 


provision  dui'in^  tlio  weeks  the}'  miglit  bo  at  scti. 
The  stoi'es  laid  in  were  onoii«irh  for  a  small  ai'inv. 
Standing  on  the  wheel-house,  and  looking  down,  one 
might  fanc}'  himself  in  some  large  farmyard  of  Eng- 
land. There  stood  the  motherly  cow  that  was  to  give 
them  milk  ;  and  a  dozen  oxen,  and  twenty  pigs,  and  a 
hundred  and  twenty  sheep,  while  whole  flocks  of 
ducks  and  geese,  and  fowls  of  eveiT  kind,  cackled  as 
in  a  poultry -yard.  Beside  all  this  live  stock,  hun- 
dreds of  ban-els  of  provisions,  of  meats  antl  fruits,  were 
stored  in  tlio  well-stockeil  larder  below.  Thus  laden 
for  her  voyage,  the  Great  Eastern  had  in  her  a  weight, 
including  her  own  machinery,  of  twenty-one  thousand 
tons — a  burden  almost  as  great  as  could  have  been  car- 
ried by  the  whole  fleet  with  which  Nelson  fought  the 
battle  of  Trafalgar. 

As  the  time  of  tleparturo  drew  near,  public  curiosity 
was  excited,  and  there  was  an  extraordinarv  desire  to 
witness  the  approaching  attempt.  The  Company  was 
besieged  by  applications  from  all  quarters  for  permis- 
sion to  accompany  the  expedition.  Had  these  re- 
quests been  granted,  on  the  scale  asked,  even  the  large 
dimensions  of  the  Clreat  Eastern  could  hardl\'  have 
been  sufficient  for  the  crowds  on  board.  The  demand 
was  most  pressing  for  places  for  newspaper  corres{)ond- 
ents.  These  came  not  only  from  England,  but  from 
France  and  America.  Almost  every  jourmd  in  Lon- 
don claimed  the  privilege  of  being  represented.     The 


I  ; 


.  1 

■    ! 


266 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


result  was  what  might  have  been  expected.  As  it  was 
impossible  to  satisfy  all,  and  to  discriminate  in  favor  of 
some,  and  exclude  others,  would  seem  partial  and  un- 
just, they  were  finally  obliged  to  exclude  all.  Of 
course  this  gave  great  offence.  There  was  an  outcry 
in  England  and  in  the  United  States  at  what  was  de- 
nounced as  a  selfish  and  suicidal  policy.  But  it  is 
doubtful  whether  any  other  possible  course  would  have 
given  better  satisfaction. 

"Whether  the  Managers  erred  in  this  or  not,  it  should 
be  said  that  they  applied  the  same  inexorable  rule  to 
themselves — even  Directors  of  the  Company  being  ex- 
cluded, unless  they  had  some  special  business  on  board. 

It  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  expedition  was 
not  under  the  control  of  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Com- 
pany at  all,  but  of  the  Telegraph  Construction  and 
Maintenance  Company,  which  had  undertaken  the 
v^ork  in  fulfilment  of  a  contract  with  the  former  Com- 
pany to  manufacture  and  lay  down  a  cable  across  the 
Atlantic,  in  which  it  assumed  the  whole  responsibility, 
not  only  making  the  cable,  but  chartering  the  ship 
and  appointing  the  officers,  and  sending  its  own  engi- 
neers to  lay  it  down.  Of  course  it  had  an  enormous 
stake  in  the  result.  Hence  it  felt,  not  only  authorized, 
but  bound,  to  organize  the  expedition  solely  with  I'efer- 
ence  to  success.  It  was  not  a  voyage  of  pleasure,  but 
for  business ;  for  the  accomplishment  of  a  great  and 


most  difficult  undertalcing. 


Hence  it  was  right  that 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1865. 


267 


the  most  strict  rules  should  be  adopted.  Accordingly 
there  was  not  a  man  on  board  who  had  not  some  busi- 
ness there.  As  the  voyage  promised  to  be  one  of  the 
utmost  practical  interest  to  electricians  and  engineers, 
several  young  men  were  received  as  assistants  in  the 
testing-room  or  in  the  engineei's'  department;  but  there 
was  no  person  who  was  not  in  some  wa}'  engaged  on 
the  business  of  one  or  the  other  company,  or  con- 
nected with  the  management  of  the  ship.  Except 
Mr.  Field,  not  an  Atlantic  Telegrapli  Director  ac- 
companied the  expedition ;  and  he  represented  also 
the  Newfoundland  Company.  Mr.  (loocli,  M.P.,  was 
at  once  a  Director  of  the  Telegraph  Construction  and 
Maintenance  Company,  and  Chairman  of  the  Board 
that  owned  the  Great  Eastern,  and  so  represented 
both  those  companies  which  had  so  great  a  stake  in 
the  result. 

Thus  the  whole  business  was  in  the  hands  of  the 
Telegraph  Construction  and  Maintenance  Company. 
It  had  its  own  officers  to  man  the  expedition — the 
captain  and  crew  to  sail  the  ship — its  enginoei-s  to 
la}'  the  cable — and  its  electricians  to  tost  it.  Even  the 
eminent  electricians.  Professor  Tlionisoti  and  ^li-.  Vnv- 
ley,  who  were  on  board  in  the  service  of  the  Atlan- 
tic Telegraph  Comjiaiiy,  wero  not  allowed  to  interfere, 
7ior  even  to  give  advice  unless  it  wej'o  asked  for  in  writ- 
ing, and  then  it  was  to  be  given  in  writinu-.  Their 
olliee  was  only  to  test  the  cable  when  laid,  to  pass 


. 


2G8 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


M 


messages  through  it  from  Newfoundland  to  Ireland, 
and  to  report  it  complete. 

So  rigorous  were  the  rules  which  governed  this 
memorable  voyage.  The  whole  enterprise  was  organ- 
ized as  com})letely  as  a  naval  expedition.  Every  man 
had  his  place.  As  when  a  ship  is  going  into  battle, 
everybody  is  sent  below  that  has  not  some  business 
on  deck,  so  it  is  not  strange  that  in  such  a  critical 
enterprise  they  did  not  want  a  host  of  supernumeraries 
on  board.  ^ 

Yet  the  Company  was  not  unmindful  of  the  anxiety 
of  the  public  for  news,  and  since  it  could  not  give 
a  place  to  many  correspondents,  it  engaged  one,  and 
that  the  best — W.  II.  Russell,  LL.D.,  the  well-known 
correspondent  of  the  London  Times  in  the  Crimea 
and  ill  India.  This  brilliant  Avriter  was  enfjajjed  to 
acc<)m])any  the  expedition — not  to  praise  without  dis- 
crimination, but  to  report  events  faithfully  from  day 
to  da}'.  lie  was  accompanied  by  two  artists,  Mr. 
O'Neill  and  Mr.  Dudley,  to  illustrate  the  scenes  of  the 
voyage.  Thus  the  Company  made  every  ]irovision  to 
furnish  information  and  even  entertainment  to  the 
public.  Several  of  these  gentlemen  afterward  wrote 
accounts  for  different  magazines — Blackwood,  Cornhill, 
and  Macmillan's.  Their  different  reports,  and  espe- 
cially the  volume  of  Dr.  Russell,  which  combines  the 
accuracy  and  minuteness  of  a  diary  kept  from  day  to 
day,  with  brilliant  descriptions,  set  off  by  illustrations 


THE  EXPEDITION   OF  1865. 


269 


from  drawings  of  Mr.  Dudley,  furnish  the  pubHc  as 
full  and  complete  an  account  as  if  there  had  been  a 
special  correspondent  for  every  journal  of  England  and 
America. 

But  if  the  public  at  large  were  very  properly  ex- 
cluded, the  organization  on  board  was  perfect  and 
complete.  At  the  head  was  Captain  Anderson,  of 
whom  we  have  .already  spoken.  As  his  duties  would 
be  manifold  and  increasing,  he  had  requested  the  aid 
of  an  assistant  commander,  and  Captain  Moriarty, 
R.  N.,  who  had  been  in  the  Agamemnon  in  185s,  was 
permitted  by  the  Admiralty  to  accompany  the  ship, 
and  to  give  the  invaluable  aid  of  his  experience  and 
skill.  The  government  also  generously  granted  two 
ships  of  war,  the  Sphinx  and  the  Terrible,  to  attend 
the  Great  Eastern.  Thus  the  whole  equipment  of  the 
expedition  was  English.  Of  the  five  hundred  men  on 
board  the  Great  Eastern,  there  was  but  one  American, 
and  that  was  Mr.  Field. 

The  engineering  department  was  under  charge  of 
Mr.  (now  Sir)  Samuel  Canning,  who,  as  the  representa- 
tive of  the  Telegraph  Construction  and  Maintenance 
Company,  was  chief  in  command  of  all  matters  relat- 
ing to  laying  the  cable.  For  this  responsible  jiosition 
no  better  man  could  have  been  chosen.  Before  the 
voyage  was  ended,  he  had  ample  opportunity  to  show 
his  resources.  Tie  was  ably  seconded  by  IVFr.  Henry 
Clifford.    Both  these  gentlemen  had  been  on  board  the 


I  i 


m 


I  ■  I 


( 

I 


370 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Agamemnon  in  the  two  expeditions  of  1858.  They 
had  since  had  large  experience  in  laying  submarine 
cables  in  the  Mediterranean  and  other  seas.  It  was 
chiefly  by  their  united  skill  that  the  paying-out  ma- 
chinery had  been  brought  to  such  perfection,  that 
throughout  the  voyage  it  worked  without  a  single 
hitch  or  jar.  They  had  an  invaluable  helper  in  Mr. 
John  Temple. 

The  electrical  department  was  under  charge  of  Mr. 
De  Sauty,  who  ha'^  had  long  experience  in  submarine 
telegraphs,  and  who  was  aided  b}'^  an  eflScient  corps  of 
assistants.  Professor  Thomson  and  Mr.  Varley,  as  we 
have  said,  were  there  to  examine  and  report  for  the 
Atlantic  Compan}\  All  these  gentlemen  had  been  un- 
ceasing in  their  tests  of  the  cable  in  every  form,  both 
while  in  the  process  of  manufacture  and  after  it  was 
coiled  in  the  Great  Eastern.  The  result  of  their  repeated 
tests  was  to  demonstrate  that  the  cable  was  many  times 
more  perfect  than  the  contract  required.  "With  such 
marvellous  delicacy  did  they  test  the  current  of  electri- 
city" sent  through  it,  that  it  was  determined  that  of  one 
thousand  parts,  over  nine  hundred  and  ninety-nine 
came  out  at  the  other  end  ! 

To  complete  this  organization  and  equipment  caused 
such  delays  as  excited  the  impatience  of  all  on  board. 
But  at  length,  when  midsummer  had  fully  come — at 
noon  of  Saturday,  July  fifteenth — the  song  of  the 
sailors  sounded  the  chant  du  depart.    The  Great  East- 


■■-**; 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1865. 


271 


era  was  then  lying  at  the  Nore,  and  she  seemed  to 
cling  to  the  English  soil  which  she  had  griped  with 
a  huge  Trotman  weighing  seven  tons,  held  fast  by  a 
chain  whereof  every  link  weighed  seventy  pounds ! 
To  wrench  this  ponderous  anchor  from  its  bed  required 
the  united  strength  of  near  two  hundred  men.  At  last 
the  bottom  lets  go  its  hold,  the  anchor  swings  to  the 
bow,  the  gun  is  fired,  and  the  voyage  is  begun.  A 
fleet  of  yachts  and  boats  raise  their  cheers  as  the 
mighty  hull  begins  to  move.  But  mark  how  carefully 
she  feels  her  way,  following  the  lead  of  yonder  little 
steamer,  the  Porcupine,  the  same  faithful  guide  that 
seven  years  before  led  the  Niagara  up  Trinity  Bay  one 
night  when  the  faint  light  of  stars  twinkled  on  all  the 
surrounding  hills.  Slowly  they  near  the  sea.  Now 
the  cliffs  of  Dover  are  in  sight,  and  bidding  her  escort 
adieu,  the  Great  Eastern  glides  along  by  the  beautiful 
Isle  of  Wight,  and  then  quickening  her  speed,  with  a 
royal  sweep,  she  moves  down  the  ChaTinel.  Off  Fal- 
mouth she  picked  up  the  Caroline,  a  small  steamer, 
which  had  left  several  days  before  with  the  shore  ond 
on  board.  She  was  laboring  heavily  with  her  burden, 
and  made  little  headway  in  the  rough  waves.  But  the 
Great  Eastern  took  her  in  tow,  and  she  followed  like  a 
ship's  boat  in  the  Avake  of  the  monarch  of  the  seas. 

Thus  they  passed  round  to  the  coast  of  Ireland,  to 
that  Valentia  Ba}^  where,  eight  years  before,  tlie  Earl 
of  Carlisle  gave  his  benediction  on  the  departure  of 


h 


!'  I 


S79 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


the  Niagara  and  the  Agamemnon,  and  where,  a  year 
later,  the  gallant  English  ship  brought  her  end  of  the 
cable  safely  to  the  shore. 

The  point  of  landing  had  been  changed  from  Va- 
lentia  harbor  five  or  six  miles  to  Foilhommerum  Bay, 
a  wild  spot  where  huge  cliffs  hang  over  the  waves 
that  here  come  rolling  in  from  the  Atlantic.  On  the 
top,  an  old  tower  of  the  time  of  Cromwell  tells  of  the 
bloody  days  of  England's  great  civil  war.  It  is  now 
but  a  mossy  ruin.  Here  the  peasants  who  flocked  in 
from  the  country  pitched  their  booths  on  the  green 
sward,  and  looked  down  from  the  dizzy  heights  on 
the  boats  dancing  in  the  bay  below.  At  the  foot  of 
the  cliff,  a  soft,  sand}'  beach  forms  a  bed  for  the  cable, 
and  here,  as  it  iSsues  from  the  sea,  it  is  led  ip  a  chan- 
nel which  had  been  cut  for  it  in  the  rocks. 

As  the  shore  end  was  very  massive  and  unwieldy, 
it  could  not  be  laid  except  in  good  weather ;  and  as 
the  sea  was  now  rough,  the  Great  Eastern  withdrew 
to  Bantry  Bay,  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  the  storms 
which  sometimes  break  with  fury  on  this  rock-bound 
coast. 

On  Saturday  this  preliminar}'^  work  was  completed, 
the  heavy  shore  end  was  carried  from  the  deck  of  the 
Caroline  across  a  bridge  of  boats  to  the  beach,  and 
hauled  up  the  cliffs  amid  the  shouts  of  the  people. 
When  once  it  was  made  fast  to  the  rocks,  the  little 
steamer  began  to  move,  and  the  huge  coil  slowly  un- 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1865. 


273 


li 


wound,  and  like  a  giant  awakened,  stretched  out  its 
long  iron  arms.  By  lialf-past  ten  o'clock  at  night  the 
hold  was  empty,  the  whole  twenty -seven  miles  having 
been  safely  laid,  and  the  end  buoyed  in  seventy-five 
fathoms  water.  A  desj)atch  was  at  once  sent  across 
the  country  to  Bantry  Bay  to  the  Great  Eastern  to 
come  around  with  all  speed,  and  early  the  next  morn- 
ing her  smoke  was  seen  in  the  offing.  Passing  the 
harbor  of  Valentia,  she  proceeded  to  join  the  Caro- 
line, which  she  reached  about  noon,  and  at  once  com- 
menced splicing  the  massive  shore  end  to  her  own  deep- 
sea  line.  This  was  a  work  of  several  hours,  so  that  it 
Avas  toward  evening  before  all  was  completed. 

Thus,  so  many  had  been  the  delays  of  the  past 
week,  that  it  had  come  on  to  Sunday  before  the 
Great  Eastern  was  ready  to  Ijegin  her  voyage.  This — 
which  some  might  count  a  desecration  of  the  holy 
day — the  sailors  rather  accepted  as  a  good  omen. 
Had  the  shore  end  been  laid  forty-eight  hours  sooner, 
the  voyage  might  have  begun  on  Friday,  which  sail- 
ors, who  are  proverl)ially  superstitious,  would  have 
thought  an  unlucky  beginning.  But  Sunday,  in  their 
esteem,  is  a  good  da\'.  The\'  like,  when  a  ship  is 
moving  out  of  sight  of  land,  that  the  last  sound  from 
the  shore  should  be  the  blessed  Sabbath  bells.  If  that 
sacred  chime  Avere  not  heard  to-day,  at  least  a  Sabbath 
peace  rested  on  sea  and  skv.     It  was  a  calm  summer's 

evening.     The  sun  was  just  sinking  in  the  waves,  as 
18 


tfl 

If 

H 

f 

i. 

■  1  ^ 

1 

:'    'I  ■ 

i 

i 

1  ;. 

; 

^*? 

1 

H 

'  1 

1 

:    1« 

1               i 

274    STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

the  Gieut  Eastern,  with  the  two  ships  of  war  which 
waited  on  either  hand,  to  attend  her  royal  progress, 
turned  their  faces  to  the  West,  and  caught  the  sudden 
glory.  Says  Russell :  "  As  the  sun  set,  a  broad  stream 
of  golden  light  was  thrown  across  the  smooth  billows 
toward  their  bows,  as  if  to  indicate  and  illumine  the 
path  marked  out  by  the  hand  of  Heaven."  What  a 
sacred  omen  !  Had  it  been  the  fleet  of  Columbus  sail- 
ing westward,  every  ship's  company  would  have  fallen 
upon  their  knees  on  those  decks,  and  burst  forth  in  an 
Ave  Maria  to  the  gentle  Mistress  of  the  Seas.  But 
in  that  manly  crew  the''e  was  many  an  eye  that  took 
in  the  full  beauty  of  the  scene,  and  many  a  reverent 
heart  that  iavoked  a  benediction. 

In  other  i-espects  the  day  was  well  chosen.  It  was 
the  twenty-third  of  July.  From  the  beginning,  Cap- 
tain Anderson  had  wished  to  sail  on  the  twenty-third 
of  June,  or  the  twenty-second  of  July,  so  as  to  have 
the  full  moon  on  the  American  coast.  lie  desired 
also  to  take  advantajje  of  the  westerlv  winds  which 
prevail  at  that  season,  for  in  going  against  the  wind 
the  Great  Eastern  Avas  steadv  as  a  rock.  Everv  ex- 
pectation  was  realized.  To  the  big  ship  the  ocean 
was  as  an  inland  lake.  The  paying-out  macliinery — 
the  product  of  so  much  study  and  skill — worked 
beautifully,  and  as  the  ship  increased  her  speed,  the 
cable  glided  into  the  water  witli  such  ease  that  it 
seemed  but  a  holiday  affair  to  carry  it  across  to  yonder 


THE  EXPEDITION  OP  1868. 


276 


continent.  Such  were  the  reflections  of  all  that  even- 
ing as  the  long  summer  twilight  lingered  on  the  sea. 
At  midnight  they  went  to  sleep,  to  dream  of  an  easy 
triumph. 

Yet  be  not  too  confident.  But  a  few  hours  had 
passed  before  the  booming  of  a  gun  awoke  all  on 
board  with  the  heavy  tidings  of  disaster.  The  morn- 
ing breaks  early  in  those  high  latitudes,  and  by  four 
o'clock  all  were  on  deck,  with  anxious  looks  inquiring 
for  the  cause  of  alarm.  The  ship  was  lying  still,  as 
if  her  voyage  had  already  come  to  an  end,  and  electri- 
cians, with  troubled  countenances,  were  passing  in  and 
out  of  the  testing-room,  which,  as  it  was  always  kept 
darkened,  looked  like  a  sick-chamber  where  some 
royal  patient  lay  trembling  between  life  and  death. 

The  method  used  by  the  electricians  to  discover  a 
fault  is  one  of  such  delicacy  and  beauty  as  shows  the 
marvellous  perfection  of  the  instruments  wiiich  science 
employs  to  learn  the  secrets  of  nature.  Tiie  galvano- 
meter is  an  invention  of  Professor  Thomson,  by  which 
"  a  ray  of  light  reflected  from  a  tiny  mirror  suspended 
to  u  magnet  travels  along  a  scale,  and  indicates  the  re- 
sistance to  the  passage  of  the  current  througii  tlie  cable 
by  the  deflection  of  the  magnet,  whicli  is  niui'kod  by 
the  course  of  this  speck  of  light.  If  tlio  light  of  the 
mirror  travels  beyond  the  index,  or  out  of  bounds,  an 
escape  of  the  current  is  taking  place,  and  what  is 
technically  called  a   fault   has  occurred."     Such  was 


27G 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPn. 


1 


i 


the  discovery  on  Monday  iiujrning.  At  a  quarter 
past  tliree  o'clock  the  electrician  on  duty  saw  the 
ligiit  suddenly  glide  to  the  end  of  the  scale  and 
vanish. 

Fortunately  it  was  not  a  fatal  injury.  It  did  not 
prevent  signalling  tnrough  the  cable,  and  a  message 
was  at  once  sent  back  to  the  shore,  giving  notice  of 
the  check  that  had  been  received.  But  the  electric 
current  did  not  flow  freely.  There  was  a  leak  at  some 
point  of  the  line  which  it  would  not  be  prudent  to  pass 
over.  They  were  now  seventy-tiiree  miles  from  shore, 
having  run  out  eighty-four  miles  of  cable.  The  tests  of 
the  electricians  indicated  the  fault  to  be  ten  or  a  dozen 
miles  from  the  stern  of  the  ship.  The  only  safe  course 
was  to  go  back  and  get  this  on  board,  and  cut  out  the 
defective  portion.  It  Avas  a  most  ungrateful  operation 
tims  to  be  undoing  their  own  work,  but  there  was  no 
help  for  it. 

Such  accidents  had  been  anticipated,  and  before  the 
Great  Eastern  left  England,  siie  had  been  provided 
witii  macliinery  to  be  used  in  case  of  necessity  for 
picking  up  the  cable.  But  this  proved  rather  an 
unwiekly  atfair.  It  was  at  the  bow,  and  as  the  paying- 
out  machine  was  at  the  stern,  the  ship  had  to  be  got 
round,  and  the  cable,  which  must  first  be  cut,  had  to  be 
transferred  from  one  end  to  the  otlier.  This  Avas  not 
an  easv  matter.  The  Great  Eastern  was  an  eio:hth  of 
a  mile  long,  and  to  carry  the  cable  along  her  sides  for 


!  ii 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  18CS. 


277 


this  distance,  and  ovei*  hur  iii<^li  wheel-houses,  was  an 
operation  at  once  tedious  and  ililficult. 

J>ut  at  length  the  ship's  head  was  brought  round, 
and  the  end  of  the  cable  lilted  over  the  bow,  and 
grasped  by  the  pulling-in  machine,  and  the  engine  be- 
gan to  putf  with  the  labor  of  raising  the  cable  from 
the  depths  of  the  ocean.  Fortunately  they  were 
only  in  four  or  five  hundred  fathoms  watei",  so  that 
the  strain  was  not  great.  But  the  engine  worked 
poorly,  and  the  operation  was  very  slow.  With 
the  best  they  could  do,  it  was  impossible  to  raise 
more  than  a  mile  an  hour !  But  patience  and  cour- 
age, though  it  should  take  all  day  and  all  night !  * 
The  Great  Eastern  did  her  duty  well,  steaming  slowly 
back  toward  Ireland,  while  the  engine  pulled,  and  the 
cable  came  up,  though  reluctantly,  from  the  sea,  till 
on  Tuesday  morning  at  seven  o'clock,  when  they  had 
hauled  in  a  little  over  ten  miles,  the  cause  of  offence 
■was  brought  on  board.  It  was  found  to  be  a  sm-dl 
piece  of  wire,  not  longer  than  a  needle,  that  bv  some 
accident  (for  they  did  not  then  suspect  a  design)  had 
been  driven  through  the  outer  cover  of  the  cable  till 
it  touched  the  core.     There  was  the  source  of  all  the 

*  "  All  during  the  night  the  process  of  picking  up  was  carefully  car- 
ried on,  the  Big  Slilp  behaving  beautifully,  and  hanging  lightly  over  the 
cable,  as  if  fearful  of  brealjing  tlie  slender  cord  which  swayed  up  and 
down  In  the  ocean.  Indeed,  so  delicately  did  she  answer  her  helm,  and 
coil  in  the  film  of  thread-like  cable  over  her  bows,  that  she  put  one  in 
mind  of  an  elephant  taking  up  a  straw  in  its  proboscis."— Russell. 


r 


;l 


• 


278 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


mischief.  It  wus  this  pin's  point  whicli  pricked  the 
vital  cord,  opening  a  minute  passage  through  which 
the  electricity,  like  a  jet  of  blood  from  a  pierced  ar- 
tery, went  streaming  into  the  sea.  It  was  with  an 
almost  angry  feeling,  as  if  to  punish  it  for  its  intru- 
sion, that  this  insignificant  and  contemptible  source  of 
trouble  was  snatched  from  its  place,  the  wounded  piece 
of  cable  was  cut  off,  and  a  splice  made  and  the  work 
of  paying  out  renewed.  But  it  was  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon  of  Tuesday  before  they  were  read}'  to 
resume  the  voyage.  A  full  day  and  a  half  had  been 
lost  by  this  miserable  piece  of  wire. 

But  the  vexatious  delay  was  over  at  last,  and  the 
stately  ship,  once  more  turning  to  the  "West,  moved 
ahead  with  a  steady  composure,  as  if  no  petty  trouble 
could  vex  her  tranquil  mind.  Throughout  the  voyage 
the  behavior  of  the  ship  was  the  admiration  of  all 
on  board.  While  her  consorts  on  either  side  were 
pitched  about  at  the  mercy  of  the  waves,  she  moved 
forward  with  a  grave  demeanor,  as  if  conscious  of 
her  mission,  or  as  if  eager  to  unburden  her  mighty 
heart,  to  throw  overboard  the  great  mystery  that 
was  coiled  up  within  her,  and  to  cast  her  burden  on 
the  sea. 

The  electricians,  too,  were  elated,  and  with  reason, 
at  the  perfection  of  the  cable  as  demonstrated  by  every 
hour's  experience.  At  intervals  of  thirty  minutes, 
day  and  night,  tests  were  passed  from  ship  to  shore, 


THE  EXPKDITION  OF  1865. 


279 


ami  to  tho  doliglit  of  all,  instwul  of  (imling  the  insu- 
lution  weakened,  it  steadily  improved  as  the  cable  was 
brought  into  contact  with  the  cold  depths  of  the 
Atlantic. 

All  now  wont  well  till  Saturday,  tho  twenty-nintii, 
when  a  little  after  noon  thoj'o  was  again  a  cry  from 
the  ship,  as  if  oneo  more  the  cable  were  wounded  and 
in  pain.  Tliis  time  the  fault  was  m<jro  serious  than 
before.  The  electricians  looked  very  grave,  for  they 
had  struck  "dead  eart!.,"  that  is,  the  insulation  was 
completely  destioyed,  and  the  electric  current  was 
escaping  into  tho  sea. 

As  the  fault  had  gone  overboard,  it  was  necessary  to 
reverse  their  course,  and  haul  in  till  tho  defective  part 
was  brought  up  from  the  bottom.  This  time  it  was 
more  tlilHcult,  for  they  were  in  water  two  miles  deep. 
Still  the  cable  yielded  slowly  to  the  iron  hands  that 
drew  it  upward ;  and  after  working  all  the  afternoon, 
about  ten  o'clock  at  night  they  got  tlio  fault  on  board. 
Tho  wounded  limb  was  at  once  amputated,  and  join- 
ing the  ])arts  tliat  were  whole,  tiio  cable  was  made  new 
and  strong  again.  Thus  ended  a  day  of  anxiety.  Tho 
next  morning,  which  avms  tlio  second  Sabbath  at  sea, 
was  welcomed  with  a  grateful  feelinfj  after  the  sus- 
pense  of  tho  last  twenty-four  hours. 

On  Monday,  the  miles  of  cable  that  had  been  hauled 
up,  and  which  were  lying  in  huge  piles  upon  the  deck, 
were  subjected   to  a  rigid   examination,  to   find  out 


If 


,1 


280 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TFLEGRAPTT. 


where  the  fault  hiy.  This  was  soon  apparent,  Nea: 
tlie  end  was  found  a  piece  of  wire  thrust  through  its 
very  heart,  as  if  it  had  been  driven  into  it.  All  looked 
black  when  this  was  discovered,  for  at  once  it  excited 
suspicions  of  design.  It  was  remarked  that  the  same 
gang  of  workmen  were  in  the  tank  as  at  the  time 
of  tlie  first  fault.  Mr.  Canning  sent  for  the  men, 
and  showing  them  tlie  cable  pierced  through  Avith 
the  wire,  asked  them  how  it  occurred.  Every  man  re- 
plied that  it  must  have  heen  done  hij  design,  even  though 
they  accused  themselves,  as  this  ini])lied  that  there 
Avas  a  traitor  among  them.  It  seemed  hard  to  believe 
that  anv  one  could  be  guilty  of  such  devilisli  maliff- 
nity.  Yet  such  a  thing  had  been  done  before  in  a 
cable  laid  in  the  North  Sea,  where  the  insulation  was 
destroyed  by  a  nail  driven  into  it.  The  man  was  after- 
ward arrested,  and  confessed  that  he  had  been  hired  to 
do  it  by  a  rival  company.  The  matter  Avas  the  sub- 
ject of  a  long  investigation  in  the  English  courts.  In 
the  present  case  tliere  Avere  many  motives  which  might 
prompt  to  such  an  act.  The  fall  in  the  stock  on  the 
London  Exchange,  caused  by  a  loss  of  the  cable,  could 
hardly  be  less  than  half  a  million  sterling.  Here  was 
a  temptation  such  as  betrays  bold,  bad  men  into  crime. 
However,  as  it  was  impossil)le  to  fix  the  deed  on  any 
one,  nothing  Avas  proved,  .and  there  only  remained  a 
painful  suspicion  of  treachery.  Against  this  it  Avas 
their  duty  to  guard.     Therefore  it  AA'as  agreed  that  the 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF   1865. 


281 


; 


gentlemen  on  board  slioukl  take  turns  in  keeping- 
wutcli  in  tlie  tank.  It  was  very  unpleasant  to  Mr. 
Canning  thus  to  set  a  watch  on  men,  many  of  whom 
had  been  with  him  in  his  former  cable-laying  expedi- 
tions, but  the  best  of  tliem  admitted  tiie  necessity  of  it, 
and  wei'e  as  eager  as  himself  to  lind  out  the  Judas 
among  them. 

But  accident  or  villainy,  it  was  defeated  this  time, 
and  the  Great  Eastern  proudly  continued  her  voyage. 
Not  the  sliglitest  check  interru])ted  their  progress  for 
the  next  three  days,  (hiring  wliicli  they  passed  over 
five  hundred  miles  of  ocean.  It  was  now  they  enjoyed 
their  greatest  triumph.  They  were  in  the  middle  of 
the  Atlantic,  and  thus  far  the  voyage  had  been  a  com- 
plete success.  Tiie  ship  seemed  as  if  made  by  Heaven 
to  accomplish  this  great  work  of  civilization.  The 
paying-out  apparatus  was  a  piece  of  mechanism  to 
excite  the  enthusiasm  of  an  engineer,  so  smoothly  did 
its  well-oiled  wheels  run.  The  strain  never  exceeded 
fourteen  hundred-weight,  even  in  the  greatest  depths 
of  the  Atlantic.  And  as  for  the  cable  itself,  it  seemed 
to  come  as  near  perfection  as  it  was  possible  to  attain. 
As  before,  the  insulation  was  greatlv  improved  by 
submergence  in  the  ocean.  With  every  lengthening- 
league  it  grew  better  and  better.  It  seems  almost  be- 
yond belief,  yet  the  fact  is  fully  attested  that,  when  in 
the  middle  of  the  ocean,  the  communication  was  so 
perfect  that  the}'^  could  tell  at  Valentia  every  time  the 


If 


282 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


■   ' 


Great  Eastern  rolled.*  With  such  omens  of  success, 
who  could  but  feel  confident  ?  And  when  on  Monday 
they  passed  over  a  deep  valley,  where  lay  "  the  bones 
of  three  Atlantic  cables,"  it  was  with  a  proud  assurance 
that  they  should  not  add  another  to  the  number. 

But  Wednesday  brought  a  sudden  termination  of 
their  hopes.  They  had  run  out  about  twelve  hundred 
miles  of  cable,  and  were  now  within  six  hundred  miles 
of  Newfoundland.  Two  days  more  would  have  made 
them  safe,  as  it  would  have  brought  them,  into  the 
shallow  waters  of  the  coast.  Thus  it  was  when  least 
expected  that  disaster  came.  The  record  of  that  fatal 
day  may  be  given  in  few  words.  In  the  morning, 
while  Mr.  Field  was  keeping  Avatch  in  the  tank,  with 
the  same  gang  of  men  who  had  been  there  when  the 
trouble  occurred  before,  a  grating  sound  was  heard,  as 
if  a  piece  of  w4re  had  caught  in  the  machinery,  and 
word  was  passed  up  to  the  deck  to  look  out  for  it ;  but 
the  caution  seems  not  to  have  been  heard,  and  it  passed 
over  the  stern  of  the  ship.  Soon  after  a  report  came 
from  the  testing-room  of  "  another  fault."  It  Avas  not 
a  bad  one,  since  it  did  not  prevent  communication  with 
land  ;  and  much  anxiety  might  have  been  saved  had  a 

*  So  exquisitely  sensitive  was  the  copper  strand,  that  as  the  Great 
Eastern  rolled,  ami  so  made  the  cable  pass  across  the  magnetic  meri- 
dian, the  induced  current  of  electricity,  incomprehensibly  faint  as  it 
must  have  been,  produced  nevertheless  a  perceptible  deviation  of  the 
ray  of  light  on  the  mirror  galvanometer  at  Foilbommerum. — Lwuion 
Times, 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1865. 


283 


message  been  sent  to  Ireland  that  they  were  about  to 
cut  the  cable,  in  order  to  haul  it  on  board.  But  small 
as  the  fault  was,  it  could  not  be  left  behind.  Down  on 
the  deep  sea-floor  was  some  minute  defect,  a  pin's 
point  in  a  length  measured  by  thousands  of  miles. 
Yet  that  was  enough.  Of  this  marvellous  product  of 
human  skill,  it  might  in  truth  be  said,  that  it  was  like 
the  law  of  God  in  demanding  absolute  perfection.  To 
offend  in  one  point  was  to  be  guilty  of  all. 

This  new  fault,  though  it  was  annoying,  did  not 
create  alarm,  for  they  had  been  accustomed  to  such 
things,  and  regarded  them  only  as  the  natural  inci- 
dents of  the  voyage.  Had  the  apparatus  for  pulling 
in  been  complete,  it  could  not  have  delayed  them  more 
than  a  few  hours.  But  this  had  been  the  weak  point 
of  the  arrangements  from  the  beginning — the  hefe  noire 
of  the  expedition.  The  only  motive  power  was  a  little 
donkey  engine,  (rightly  named,)  which  pufTed  and 
wheezed  as  if  it  had  the  asthma.  This  was  now  put  in 
requisition,  but  soon  gave  out  for  want  of  more  steam. 
While  waiting  for  this  a  breeze  sprang  up,  wliich 
caused  the  Great  Eastern  to  drift  over  the  cable,  by 
which  it  was  badly  chafed,  so  that  when  it  was  hauled 
in,  as  the  injured  part  was  coming  over  the  bows  and 
was  almost  within  grasp,  suddenly  it  broke  and  plunged 
into  the  sea ! 

It  came  without  a  moment's  warning.  So  unex- 
pected was  such  a  catastrophe,  that  the  gentlemen  had 


I 


if 


I 


t.' 


284 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


gone  down  to  iuncli,  as  it  was  a  little  past  the  hour  of 
noon.  But  Mr.  Cannin"'  and  ]\[r.  Field  stood  watciiing: 
the  cable  as  it  was  straining  uj)ward  from  the  sea,  and 
saw  the  snaj)ping  of  that  cord,  wiiich  broke  so  many 
hopes.  The  impression  may  be  better  imagined  than 
described.  Says  a  writer  on  board :  "  Suddenlj'  Mr. 
Canning  ai)peared  in  the  saloon,  and  in  a  manner 
which  caused  every  one  to  stai't  in  his  seat,  said,  '  It  is 
all  over !  It  is  gone ! '  then  hastened  onward  to  his 
cabin.  Ere  the  thi'ill  of  surprise  and  pain  occasioned 
by  these  words  had  passed  away,  Mr.  Field  came  from 
the  companion  into  the  saloon,  and  said,  with  com- 
posure admirable  under  the  circumstances,  though  his 
lip  quivered  and  his  cheek  was  blanched,  '  The  cable 
has  parted  and  has  gone  overboard.'  All  were  on 
deck  in  a  moment,  and  there,  indeed,  a  glance  revealed 
the  truth." 

At  last  it  had  come — the  calamity  which  all  had 
feared,  yet  that  seemed  so  far  away  only  a  few  hours 
before.  Yet  there  it  was — the  ragged  end  on  board, 
torn  and  bleeding,  the  other  lying  far  down  in  its 
ocean  grave. 

In  America,  of  course,  nothing  could  be  known 
of  the  fate  of  the  expedition  till  its  arrival  on  our 
shores.  But  in  England  its  progress  was  reported 
from  day  to  day,  and  as  the  success  up  to  this  point  had 
raised  the  hopes  of  all  to  the  higliest  pitch,  the  sudden 
loss  of  communication  with  the  ship  was  a  heavy  blow 


■KV 


!■  I 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1865. 


285 


to  public  expectation,  and  gave  rise  to  all  sorts  of  con- 
jectures. At  first  a  favorite  theory  was,  tliat  commu- 
nication had  been  interrupted  by  a  magnetic  storm. 
These  are  among  tlie  most  mysterious  phenomena  of 
nature — so  sul)tle  and  fleeting  as  to  be  almost  beyond 
the  reach  of  science.  No  visible  sign  do  tliey  give  of 
their  presence.  Xo  clouds  <larken  the  lieavens;  no 
thunder  peals  along  the  sk}'.  Yet  strange  influences 
trouble  the  air.  At  this  very  hour.  Professor  Airy,  the 
Astronomer  Royal  at  the  Observatory  at  Greenwich, 
reported  a  magnetic  storm  of  unusual  violence.  Said 
a  London  paper  : 

"Just  when  the  siofimls  from  the  Great  Eastern  ceased,  a 
magnetic  storm  of  singular  violence  had  set  in.  Unperceived 
by  us,  not  to  be  seen  in  the  heavens,  nor  felt  in  the  atmos- 
phere, the  earth's  electricity  underwent  a  mysterious  dis- 
turbance. The  recording  instruments  scattered  about  the 
kingdom,  everywhei'e  testilied  to  the  fury  of  this  voiceless 
tempest,  and  there  is  every  reason  to  suppose  that  the  con- 
fusion of  signals  at  midday  on  Wediiesday  was  due  to  the 
strange  and  unusual  earth-currents  of  magnetism,  sweeping 
wildly  across  the  cable  as  it  lay  in  apparently  untroubled 
waters  at  the  bottom  of  the  Atlantic.'' 


iv 


Said  the  Times 


"  At  Valentia,  on  Wednesday  la.st.  the  signals,  up  to  nine 
A.M.,  were  coming  with  wonderful  distinctness  and  regularity, 
but  about  that  time  a  violent  magnetic  storm  set  in.  No  insu- 
lation of  a  submarijie  cable  is  ever  so  ])erfect  as  to  withstand 
the  inlluence  of  these  electrical   phenomena,   which  corre- 


iir 


W 


i    ) 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

spond  in  some  particulars  to  storms  in  the  ordinary  atmos- 
piiere,  their  direction  generally  being  from  east  to  west. 
Their  action  is  immediately  communicated  to  all  conductors 
of  electricity,  and  a  struggle  set  up  between  the  natural  cur- 
rent and  that  used  artificially  in  sending  messages.  This 
magnetic  storm  affected  every  telegraphic  station  in  the 
kingdom.  At  some  the  wires  were  utterly  useless ;  and  be- 
tween Valentia  and  Killarney  the  natural  current  toward 
the  west  was  so  strong  along  the  land  lines  that  it  required 
an  addition  of  five  times  the  ordinary  battery  power  to 
overcome  it.  This  magnetic  storm,  which  ceased  at  two  a.m. 
on  Friday,  was  instantly  perceptible  in  the  Atlantic  cable. " 

But  these  explanations,  so  consoling  to  anxious 
friends  on  land,  did  not  comfort  those  on  board  the 
Great  Eastern.  They  knew,  alas !  that  the  cable  was 
at  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  and  the  only  question  was, 
if  any  thing  could  be  done  to  recover  it. 

Now  began  a  work  of  which  there  had  been  no  ex- 
ample in  the  annals  of  the  sea.  The  intrepid  Canning 
declared  his  purpose  to  grapple  for  the  cable !  The 
proposal  seemed  wild,  dictated  by  the  frenzy  of  de- 
spair. Yet  he  had  fished  in  deep  waters  before.  He 
had  laid  his  hand  on  the  bottom  of  the  Mediterranean, 
but  that  was  a  shallow  lake  compared  with  the  depths 
into  which  the  Atlantic  cable  had  descended.  The 
ocean  is  here  two  and  a  half  miles  deep.  It  was  as  if 
an  Alpine  hunter  stood  on  the  summit  of  Mont  Blanc 
and  cast  a  Ymo  into  the  vale  of  Chamouni.  Yet  who 
shall  put  bounds  to  human  courage  ?    The  expedition 


k\ 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1865. 


287 


was  not  to  be  abandoned  without  a  trial  of  this  forlorn 
hope.  There  were  on  board  some  five  miles  of  wire 
rope,  intended  to  hold  the  cable  in  case  it  became 
necessary  to  cut  it  and  lash  it  to  the  buoys,  to  save 
it  from  being  lost  in  a  storm.  This  was  brought  on 
deck  for  another  purpose.  *'  And  now  came  forth  the 
grapnels,  two  five-armed  anchors,  with  flukes  sharply 
curved  and  tapered  to  a  tooth-like  end — the  hooks 
with  which  the  Giant  Despair  was  going  to  fish  from 
the  Great  Eastern  for  a  take  worth,  with  all  its  be- 
longings, more  than  a  million."  These  huge  grappling- 
irons  were  firmly  shackled  to  the  end  of  the  rope,  and 
brought  to  the  bows  and  thrown  overboard.  One 
splash,  and  the  whole  has  disappeared  in  the  bosom 
of  the  ocean.  Down  it  goes— tleeper,  deeper,  deeper 
still !  For  two  full  hours  it  continued  sinking  before 
it  struck  the  earth,  and  like  a  pearl-diver,  began  search- 
ing for  its  lost  treasure  on  the  bottom  of  the  sea. 
What  did  it  find  there  ?  The  wrecks  of  ships  that 
had  gone  down  a  hundred  years  ago,  with  dead  men's 
bones  whitening  in  the  deep  sea  caves  ?  It  sought  for 
something  more  precious  to  the  interest  of  civilization 
than  gems  and  gold. 

The  ship  was  now  a  dozen  miles  or  so  from  the 
place  of  accident.  The  cable  had  broken  a  little  after 
noon,  when  the  sun  was  shining  clear,  so  that  Captains 
Anderson  and  Moriarty  had  just  obtained  a  perfect 
observation,  from  which  they  could  tell,  within  half  a 


1 


! 


[ 


i      !, 


288        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

mile,  tlio  very  spot  where  it  had  gone  clown.  To  reach 
it  now,  with  any  ciuince  of  bringing  it  up,  it  would  be 
necessary  to  hook  it  a  few  miles  from  the  end.  It  had 
been  paid  out  in  a  line  from  east  to  west.  To  strike 
it  broadside,  the  ship  stood  off  in  the  afternoon  a  few 
miles  to  the  south.  Here  the  grapnel  was  thrown 
over  about  three  o'clock,  and  struck  bottom  about 
five,  when  the  ship  began  slowly  drifting  back  on  her 
course.  All  night  long  those  iron  fingers  were  raking 
the  bottom  of  the  deep  but  grasping  nothing,  till  to- 
ward morning  the  long  rope  quivered  like  a  fisher- 
man's line  when  something  has  seized  the  end,  and 
the  head  of  the  Great  Eastern  began  to  sway  from  her 
course,  as  if  it  felt  some  unseen  attraction.  As  they 
began  to  haul  in,  the  rapidly  increasing  strain  soon 
rendered  it  certain  that  they  had  got  hold  of  something. 
But  what  could  it  be  ?  How  did  they  know  it  was 
their  lost  cable?  This  question  has  often  been  asked. 
They  did  not  see  it.  How  did  they  know  that  it  was 
not  the  skeleton  of  a  wliale.  or  a  mast  or  spar,  the 
fragment  of  a  wrecked  ship  ?  The  question  is  easily 
answered.  If  it  had  been  vcay  loose  object  which  was 
being  drawn  up  from  the  sea,  its  weight  would  have 
diminished  as  it  came  nearer  the  surface.  But  on  the 
contrary,  the  strain,  as  shown  by  the  dynamometer, 
steadily  increased.  This  could  only  be  from-  some 
object  lying  prone  on  the  bottom.  To  an  engineer 
the  proof  was    like  a  mathematical    demonstration. 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF   1865. 


289 


Another    fact    observed   by  Captain    Anderson    was 
equall}'  decisive: 

"The  jrrjipnel  liad  caught  something  at  the  exact  hour 
wlien  by  calcuhitiou  the  ship  was  known  to  be  crossing  the 
line  of  the  cable  ;  nor  hud  tlie  gra{)nel  upon  this  or  any  other 
occasion  even  for  an  instant  caught  any  impediment  from 
the  time  of  its  being  lowered  to  the  bottom,  until  the  hour 
indicated  by  calculation,  when  the  cable  ought  to  be  hooked." 

Having  thus  cauglit  the  cable,  they  liad  good  liopes 
of  getting  it  again,  their  confidence  increasing  with 
every  hundred  fathoms  brought  on  board.  For  liours 
the  work  went  on.  They  had  raised  it  seven  hundred 
fathoms — or  three  quarters  of  a  mile — from  the  bottom, 
when  an  iron  swivel  gave  way,  and  the  cable  once 
more  fell  back  into  the  sea,  carrying  with  it  nearly  two 
miles  of  rope. 

The  first  attempt  had  failed,  but  the  fact  tliat  they 
had  unmistakably  caught  the  prize  gave  them  courage 
for  a  second.  Preparations  were  at  once  begun,  but 
fogs  came  on  and  delayed  the  attempt  till  ^[onday, 
when  it  Avas  repeated.  The  grapnel  caught  again. 
It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  when  it  got  its  iiold,  and 
the  work  of  pulling  in  was  kept  up  all  night.  But 
as  the  sea  was  calm  and  the  moon  shining  brightly, 
all  joined  in  it  with  spirit,  feeling  elated  with  the  hope 
of  triumph  on  the  morrow. 

That  was  not  to  be;  but  each  attempt  seemed  to 
come  nearer  and  nearer  to  victory.  This  time  the 
19 


,-. 


i !  ! 


i 


290        STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

cable  was  drawn  up  a  full  mile  from  the  bottom,  and 
hung  suspended  a  mile  and  a  half  below  the  ship. 
Had  the  rope  been  strong  enough,  it  might  have  been 
brought  on  board.  But  again  a  swivel  gave  way,  and 
the  cable,  whose  sleep  had  been  a  second  time  dis- 
turbed, sought  its  ocean  bed. 

These  experiments  were  fast  using  up  the  wire  rope, 
and  every  expedient  had  to  be  resorted  to,  to  piece  it 
out  and  to  give  it  strength.  Each  shackle  and  swivel 
was  replaced  by  new  bolts,  and  the  capstan  was  in- 
creased four  feet  in  diameter,  by  being  belted  with 
enormous  plates  of  iron,  to  wind  the  rope  around  it,  if 
the  picking-up  machinery  should  fail.  This  gave  full 
work  to  all  the  mechanics  on  board.  The  ship  was 
turned  into  a  very  cave  of  Vulcan,  presenting  at  night 
a  scene  which  might  well  take  the  eye  of  an  artist,  and 
which  Russell  thus  describes : 

"Tlie  forge  fires  glared  on  her  decks,  and  there,  out  in 
the  midst  of  the  Atlantic,  anvils  rang  and  sparks  flew ;  and 
the  spectator  thought  of  some  village  far  away,  where  the 
blacksmith  worked,  unvexed  by  cable  anxieties  and  greed 
of  speedy  news.  As  the  blaze  shot  up,  ruddy,  mellow  and 
strong,  and  flung  arms  of  light  aloft  and  along  the  glisten- 
ing decks,  and  then  died  into  a  red  centre,  masts,  spars,  and 
ropes  were  for  the  instant  touched  with  a  golden  gleaming, 
and  strange  figures  and  faces  were  called  out  from  the  dark- 
ness— vanished,  glinted  ''ut  again — rushed  suddenly  into 
foreground  of  bright  pictures,  which  faded  soon  away — 
flickered — went  out — as  they  were  called  to  life  by  its  warm 


f 


THE  EXPEDITION  OF  1805. 


291 


breath,  or  were  buried  in  the  outer  darkness  !  Outside  all 
was  obscurity,  but  now  and  tlien  vast  shadows,  which 
moved  across  the  arc  of  the  lijfhted  fog-bank,  were  projected 
far  away  by  the  Jlare  ;  and  one  niij^ht  well  pardon  tlie  pass- 
ing mariner,  whose  bark  drifted  him  in  the  night  across  the 
track  of  the  great  ship,  if,  crossing  himself,  and  praying 
with  shuddering  lips,  lie  fancied  he  beheld  a  phantom  ship 
freighted  with  an  evil  crew,  and  ever  after  told  how  he  had 
seen  the  workshops  of  the  Inferno  floating  on  the  bosom  of 
the  ocean." 

While  preparing  for  a  third  attempt,  the  ship  had 
been  drifting  about,  sometimes  to  a  distance  of  thirty 
or  forty  miles,  but  it  had  marked  the  course  where  the 
cable  lay  by  two  buoys  thrown  over  about  ten  miles 
apart,  each  bearing  a  flag  which  might  be  seen  at  a 
distance,  and  so  easily  came  back  to  the  spot.  On 
Thursday  morning  all  was  ready,  and  the  line  was  cast 
as  before,  but  after  some  hours  of  drifting,  it  was  evi- 
dent that  the  ship  had  ])assed  over  the  cable  without 
grappling.  The  line  was  hauled  in,  and  the  reason  at 
once  appeared.  One  of  the  flukes  had  caught  in  the 
chain,  so  that  it  could  not  strike  its  teeth  into  the  bot- 
tom. This  was  cleared  away,  and  the  rope  prepared 
for  a  fourth  and  final  attempt. 

It  was  at  noon  of  Friday  that  tlie  grapnel  went  over- 
board for  the  last  time.  By  four  o'clock  it  had  caught, 
and  the  work  of  hauling  in  recommenced.  Again  the 
cable  was  brought  up  nearly  eight  hundred  fathoms, 
when  the  rope  broke,  carrying  down  two  miles  of  its 


ii 


I[ 


ii  i 
It  : 
1  '■'   I 


90S 


STORY   OF  TIIK  A'I'I.AXTIC  'PHIiKGIlAril. 


own  length,  and  with  it  tho  hoposof  tho  Atlantic  Telo- 
griijih  for  tho  present  year. 

Their  I'esources  wore  exhausted.  For  nine  days  and 
nights,  for  tho  work  never  stopped  for  light  or  dark- 
ness, had  the  great  ship  kept  moving  round  and  round 
like  some  mighty  binl  of  the  sea,  with  her  eye  lixed 
on  tho  j)lace  where  her  treasure  had  gone  down,  and 
strivi'^i  to  wrest  it  from  tho  hand  of  tho  spoiler. 
Three  times  had  they  grasped  the  pi'ize,  and  each  time 
failed  to  '"ecover  it,  only  for  want  of  ropes  strong 
enough  to  bring  it  on  board.  The  cable  Itself  never 
h'oke.  This  proof  of  its  strength  was  a  good  omen 
for  future  success. 

But  for  the  present  all  was  over.  The  attempt  must 
be  abandoned  for  the  year  1865,  but  not  for  ever  ;  and 
with  this  purpose  in  her  constant  mind,  the  Great 
Eastern  swung  sullenly  around,  and  turned  her  impe- 
rial head  toward  England,  like  a  warrior  retiring  from 
the  field — not  victorious,  nor  yet  defeated  and  despair- 
ing, but  with  her  battle-flag  still  flying,  and  resolved 
once  more  to  attempt  the  conquest  of  the  sea. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

PREPARING    TO    RKNEW   TICK    BATTLE. 

The  expedition  of  1805,  thouj^h  not  an  immediate 
success,  had  the  moral  effect  of  a  victory,  as  it  con- 
firmed the  most  sanguine  expectations  of  all  who  em- 
barked in  it.  Tiie  groat  experiment  made  during  those 
four  weeks  at  sea,  had  demonstrated  many  points 
which  were  most  important  elements  in  the  problem  of 
Ocean  Telegraphy.  These  are  summed  up  in  the  fol- 
lowing paper,  which  was  signed  by  persons  officially 
engaged  on  boai-d  tiie  Great  Eastern : 

1.  It  was  proved  by  tlie  expedition  of  1858,  that  a  Sub- 
marine Telegraph  Cable  could  be  laid  between  Ireland  and 
Newfoundland,  and  mcssaf^es  transmitted  through  the  same. 

By  the  expedition  of  18(55  it  has  been  fully  demonstrated  : 

2.  That  the  insulation  of  a  cable  improves  very  much 
after  its  submersion  in  the  cold  deep  water  of  the  Atlantic, 
and  that  its  conducting  power  is  considerably  increased 
thereby. 

3.  Tliat  the  steamship  Great  Eastern,  from  her  size  and 
constant  steadiness,  and  from  the  control  over  her  afforded 
by  the  joint  use  of  paddles  and  screw,  renders  it  safe  to  lay 
an  Atlantic  Cable  in  any  weather. 


ill 


m 


I 


-  ■^.'>':  *wMifWf*?i'j'. 


294        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

4.  That  in  a  depth  of  over  two  miles  four  attempts  were 
made  to  grapple  the  cable.  In  three  of  tliem  the  cable  was 
caught  by  the  grapnel,  and  in  the  other  the  grapnel  was 
fouled  by  the  chain  attached  to  it. 

5.  That  the  paying-out  machinery  used  on  board  the  Great 
Eastern  worked  perfectly,  and  can  be  confidently  relied  on 
for  laying  cables  across  the  Atlantic. 

6.  That  with  the  improv.  d  telegraphic  instruments  for 
long  submarine  lines,  a  speed  of  more  than  eight  words  per 
minute  ran  be  obtained  through  such  a  cable  as  the  present 
Atlantic  between  Ireland  and  Newfoundland,  as  the  amount 
of  slack  actually  paid  out  did  not  exceed  fourteen  per  cent, 
which  would  have  made  the  total  cable  laid  between  Valen- 
tia  and  Heart's  Content  nineteen  hundred  miles. 

7.  That  the  present  Atlantic  Cable,  though  capable  of 
bearing  a  strain  of  seven  tons,  did  not  experience  more  than 
fourteen  hundred-weight  in  being  paid  out  into  the  deepest 
water  of  the  Atlantic  between  Ireland  and  Newfoundland. 

8.  That  there  is  no  difficulty  in  mooring  buoys  in  the  deep 
water  of  the  Atlantic  between  Ireland  and  Newfoundland, 
and  that  two  buoys  even  when  moored  by  a  piece  of  the 
Atlantic  Cable  itself,  which  had  been  previously  lifted  from 
the  bottom,  have  ridden  out  a  gale. 

9.  That  more  than  four  nautical  miles  of  the  Atlantic 
Cable  have  been  recovered  from  a  depth  of  over  two  miles, 
and  that  the  insulation  of  the  gutta-percha-covered  wire  was 
in  no  way  whatever  impaired  by  the  depth  of  water  or  the 
strains  to  which  it  had  been  subjected  by  lifting  and  passing 
through  the  hauliug-iu  apparatus. 


PREPARING  TO  RENEW  THE  PATTLE.    295 

10.  That  the  cable  of  1865,  owing  to  the  inipi-ovenieiits 
introduced  into  tlie  manufacture  of  the  guttu-pei-clia  core, 
was  more  than  one  hundred  times  better  insulated  than 
cables  made  in  1858,  then  considered  perfect  and  still  work- 
ing. 

11.  That  the  electrical  testing  can  be  conducted  with  sucli 
unerring  accuracy  as  to  enable  the  electricians  to  discover 
the  existence  of  a  fault  immediatelj-  after  its  production  or 
development,  and  very  quio.;,y  to  ascertain  its  position  in 
the  cable. 

12.  That  with  a  steam-engine  attached  to  the  paying-out 
machinery,  should  a  fault  be  discovered  on  board  whilst 
laying  the  cable,  it  is  possible  tliat  it  luight  be  recovei-ed 
before  it  liad  reached  the  bottom  of  the  Atlantic,  and  repaired 
at  once. 

8.  Canning,  Englneer-in-Chief,  Telegrai.li  Construction 
and  Maintenance  Company. 

James  Anderson,  Com./iantler  of  tlio  Croat  Eastern. 

Hknkt  a.  Mokiauty,  .Staff  Commaniler,  R.  N. 

Daniel  Gooch,  M.P.,  Chairman  of  "  Great  Sliip  Co." 

Henky  Cliffokd,  Engineer. 

William  Thomson,  LL.D.,  F.R.S.,  Prof,  of  Natural  Phi- 
losophy in  the  University  of  Glasgow. 

Cromwell  F.  Vauley,  Consulting  Electrician  Electric 
and  International  Telegraph  Co. 

Willodghhy  Smith. 

Jules  Despecheu. 

This  was  a  grand  result  to  be  attained  in  one  short 
month ;  and  if  not  quite  so  gratifying  as  to  have  the 
cable  laid  at  once,  and  the  wire  in  full  operation,  yet 
as  it  settled  the  chief  elements  of  success,  the  moral 


i! 


yr 


i     i'i 


1 


29G 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


effect  was  next  to  that  of  an  immediate  triumph.  All 
who  were  on  that  voj'age  felt  a  confidence  such  as 
they  had  never  felt  before.  They  came  back,  not 
desponding  and  discouraged,  but  buoyant  with  hope, 
and  ready  at  once  to  renew  the  attempt. 

This  confidence  appeared  at  the  first  meeting  of 
directors.  The  feeling  was  very  different  from  that 
after  the  return  of  the  first  expedition  of  1858.  So 
animated  were  they  with  hope,  and  so  sure  of  success 
the  next  time,  that  all  felt  that  one  cable  Avas  not 
enough,  they  must  have  two,  and  so  it  was  decided 
to  take  measures  not  only  to  raise  the  broken  end  of 
the  cable  and  to  complete  it  to  Newfoundland,  but  also 
to  construct  and  lay  an  entirely  new  one,  so  as  to  have 
a  double  line  in  operation  the  following  summer. 

The  contractors,  partaking  the  general  confidence, 
came  forward  promptly  with  a  new  offer  even  more 
liberal  than  that  made  before.  They  proposed  to  con- 
struct a  new  line,  and  to  lay  it  across  the  Atlantic  for 
half  a  million  sterling,  which  was  estimated  to  be  the 
actual  cost  to  them,  reserving  all  compensation  to 
themselves  to  depend  on  success.  If  successful,  they 
were  to  receive  twenty  per  cent,  on  the  cost,  or  one 
hundred  thousand  pounds,  to  be  paid  in  shares  of  the 
Company.  They  would  engage,  also,  to  go  to  sea 
fully  prepared  to  raise  the  broken  end  of  the  cable 
now  in  mid-ocean,  and  with  a  sufficient  length,  includ- 
ing that  on  board  the  Great  Eastern,  to  complete  the 


ii^ 


PREPARING  TO  RENEW  THE  BATTLE. 


297 


line  to  Newfoundland.  Thus  the  company  would 
have  two  cables  instead  of  one. 

In  this  offer  the  contractors  assumed  a  very  large 
risk.  They  now  went  a  step  further,  and  in  the  con- 
tingency of  the  capital  not  being  raised  otherwise,  they 
offered  to  take  it  all  themselves — to  lay  tlie  line  at  their 
own  risk,  and  to  be  paid  only  in  the  stock  of  the  Com- 
pany, which,  of  course,  must  depend  for  its  value  on 
the  success  of  the  next  expedition.  It  was  finally 
resolved  to  raise  six  hunilred  thousand  pounds  of  new 
capital  by  the  issue  of  a  hundred  and  twenty  thousand 
shares  of  five  pounds  each,  which  should  be  preferential 
shares,  entitled  to  a  dividend  of  twelve  per  cent,  before 
the  eight  per  cent,  dividend  to  be  paid  on  the  former 
preference  shares,  and  the  four  per  cent,  on  the  ordinary 
stock.  This  Avas  offering  a  substantial  inducement  to 
the  public  to  take  part  in  the  enterprise,  and  it  was 
thought  with  reason  that  this  fresh  issue  of  stock, 
though  it  increased  the  capital  of  the  Company,  yet  as 
it  was  all  to  be  employed  in  forwarding  the  great 
work,  would  not  onl}'  create  new  propert}',  but  give 
value  to  the  old.  The  proposal  of  the  manufacturei-s 
was  therefore  at  once  accepted  by  the  Directors,  and 
the  work  was  instantly  begun.  Thus  hopeful  was  the 
state  of  affairs  when  Mr.  Field  returned  to  America  in 
September. 

But  he  was  never  eas}'  to  be  long  out  of  sight  of  his 
beloved  cable,  and  so  three  months  after  he  went  back 


'?H 


mv 

in 


I. 


298 


STORY   OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


mil  \ 


:  f 


f 


to  England,  reaching  London  on  the  twenty-fourth  of 
December.  He  came  at  just  the  right  moment,  for  the 
Atlantic  Telegraph  was  once  more  in  extremity.  Only 
two  days  before  the  Attorney-General  of  England  had 
given  a  written  opinion  that  the  Company  had  no 
legal  right  to  issue  new  twelve  per  cent,  pi'eference 
shares,  and  that  such  issue  could  onlv  be  authorized  by 
an  express  act  of  Parliament.  This  was  a  fatal  decree 
to  the  Company,  It  was  the  more  unexpected,  as, 
before  offering  the  twelve  per  cent,  capital,  they  had 
heen  fortified  b}"^  the  opinions  of  several  eminent  law- 
yers and  solicitors  in  favor  of  the  legality  of  their 
proceedings.  It  invalidated  not  only  what  they  were 
going  to  do,  but  what  they  had  done  already.  Hence, 
as  the  effect  of  this  decision,  all  the  works  were 
stopped,  and  the  money  which  had  been  paid  in  was 
returned  to  the  subscribers. 

This  was  a  new  dilemma,  out  of  which  it  was  not 
easy  to  find  a  way  of  relief.  Parliament  was  not  in 
session,  Lords  and  Commons  being  away  in  the  country 
keeping  the  Christmas  holidays.  Even  if  it  had  been, 
the  time  for  a])plymg  to  it  had  passed,  as  a  notice  of 
any  private  bill  to  be  introduced  must  be  given  before 
the  tliirtieth  of  November,  which  was  gone  a  month 
ago.  To  wait  for  an  act  of  Parliament,  therefore, 
would  inevitably  postpone  the  laying  of  the  cable  for 
another  year.  So  disheartening  was  the  prospect  at 
the  close  of  1865. 


PREPARING  TO  RENEW  THE  BATTLE. 


299 


But  thev  had  seen  dark  davs  before,  and  were  not 
to  give  it  up  without  a  new  effort.  Happily,  the  cause 
had  strong  friends  to  stand  by  it  even  in  this  crisis  of 
suspended  animation. 

One  of  these  to  whom  Mr.  Field  now  went  for  coun- 
sel, was  Mr.  (afterward  Sii-)  Daniel  Gooch,  M.P.,  a 
gentleman  well  known  in  London,  as  one  of  the  class 
of  engineers  formed  in  the  school  of  Stephenson  and 
Brunei,  who  had  risen  to  the  position  of  great  capital- 
ists, and  who,  by  tiieir  enterprise  and  wealtli,  had  done 
so  much  to  develope  tiie  resources  of  England.  lie 
was  Chairman  of  the  Great  Western  Kaihvay,  and  had 
more  faith  in  enterprises  on  tlie  land  than  on  the  sea. 
It  was  a  long  time  before  he  could  believe  in  the  possi- 
bility of  an  Atlantic  Telegraph.  Though  a  man  of 
large  fortune,  and  a  personal  fi'iend  of  Mr.  Field,  the 
latter  had  never  prevailed  on  him  to  subscribe  a  single 
pound.  But  he  went  out  on  the  expedition  of  '().").  as 
chairman  of  the  company  that  owned  the  Great  East- 
ern ;  and  what  he  then  saw  convinced  him.  lie  came 
back  fully  satisfied  ;  he  knew  it  coukl  be  done,  and 
was  ready  to  prove  his  faith  by  his  works.  Consulting 
on  the  present  difficulty,  he  suggested  that  the  only 
relief  was  to  organize  a  new  Company,  which  should 
assume  the  work,  and  which  could  issue  its  own  shares 
and  raise  its  own  ca])ital.  This  opinion  was  con- 
firmed bv  the  eminent  legal  authoritv  of  ]\Ir.  John 
Horatio  Lloyd.     To  such  a  Company  Mr.  Gooch  said 


H 


{ 


E 


i 


?<!". 


,  r 


:'      if: 

' 

800 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


he  would  subscribe  £20,000;  Mr.  Field  put  down 
£10,000. 

Next,  he  l)etook  himself  to  that  prince  of  English 
capitalists,  Mr.  Thomas  Brassey,  who  heard  from  his 
lips  for  the  first  time,  that  the  affairs  of  the  Atlantic 
Telegraph  Company  had  suddenly  come  to  a  stand- 
still. Ab  tui;  ho  was  much  surprised,  but  instantly 
cheert  •  h;.  :  mer  by  saying :    "  Don't  be  discour- 

aged ;  go  <1  /v  ^  die  Company,  and  tell  them  to  go 
ahead,  and  whatever  the  cost,  I  will  bear  one  tenth 
of  the  Avh^l  Wli'>  'uld  be  discouraged  with  such 
a  Richard  the  Lion-hoa  .v^c  '  >  cheer  him  on  ? 

Meetings  were  called  of  the  Directors  of  both  the 
Atlantic  Company  and  the  Telegraph  Construction 
and  Maintenance  Company ;  and  frequent  conferences 
were  held  between  them.  The  result  was  the  forma- 
tion of  a  new  company  called  the  Anglo-American 
Telegraph  Company,  with  a  capital  of  £600,000,  which 
contracted  with  the  Atlantic  Company  to  manufacture 
and  lay  down  a  cable  in  the  summer  of  ISOO,  for  doing 
which  it  was  to  be  entitled  to  what  virtually  amounted 
to  a  preference  dividend  of  twenty -five  per  cent :  as  a 
first  claim  was  secured  to  them  by  the  latter  company 
upon  the  revenue  of  the  cable  or  cables  (after  the 
working  exjienses  had  been  provided  for)  to  the  extent 
of  £125,000  per  annum;  and  the  New- York,  New- 
foundland, and  London  Telegraph  Company  under- 
took to  contribute  from  its  revenue  a  further  annual 


VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


301 


sum  of  £25,000,  on  condition  that  a  cable  should  be  at 
work  during  1866  ;  an  agreement  to  this  effect  having 
been  signed  by  Mr.  Field,  subject  to  ratification  by  the 
Company  in  New  Yoi'k,  which  was  obtained  as  soon 
as  the  steamer  could  ci'oss  the  ocean  and  bring  back 
the  reply. 

The  terms  being  settled,  it  remained  only  to  raise 
the  capital.  The  Telegraph  Construction  and  Main- 
tenance Company  led  off  with  a  subscription  of 
£100,000.  This  Avas  followed  by  tlie  names  of  ten 
gentlemen,  who  put  down  £10,000  apiece.  Of  these 
Mr.  Gooch  declared  his  Avillingness  to  increase  his  sub- 
scription of  £10,000  to  £20,000,  while  Mr.  Brassey 
would  put  down  £6o,000,  if  it  were  needed.  Mr. 
Henry  Bewley,  of  Dublin  also,  who  was  already  a 
large  owner  of  the  Atlantic  stock,  declared  his  readi- 
ness to  add  .£20,000  more.  But  this  was  not  necessary  : 
and  so  the}'  all  stood  at  £10,000.  The  names  of  these 
ten  subscribers  deserve  to  be  given,  as  showing  wlio 
stood  forward  to  save  the  cause  in  this  crisis  of  its  fate. 
They  were:  Henry  Ford  Barclay,  Henry  Bewley, 
Thomas  Brassev,  A.  H.  Campbell,  M.P.,  George  Elliot, 
Cyrus  W.  Field,  Iticliard  Atwood  Glass,  Daniel  Gooch, 
M.P.,  John  Pender,  M.P.,  and  John  Smith.  There  were 
four  subscriptions  of  £5,00o;  by  Thomas  Bolton  and 
Sons,  James  Ilorsfall,  A  Friend  of  ]\[r.  Daniel  Gooch, 
M.P.,  and  John  and  Edwin  Wright ;  one  of  £2,50(1  by 
John  Wilkes   and   Sons;   three   of  £2,o00  by  C.  M. 


I' 


I 
1 


i 


T 


Cl^; 


\f 


III 


I        1 


■ 


I 


803 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Lainpson,  J.  ^[orison,  and  Ebeiiezer  Pike ;  and  two  of 
£1,000  by  Edward  Cropper,  and  Joseph  Kobinson, — 
making  in  all  £230,500. 

These  were  all  i)rivate  subscriptions  made  before 
even  the  prospectus  was  issued,  or  the  books  opened  to 
the  public.  After  such  a  manifestation  of  confidence, 
the  whole  capital  was  secured  within  fourteen  days. 
This  was  a  great  triumph,  especially  at  a  time  of  gen- 
eral depression  in  commercial  affairs  in  England. 

And  now  once  more  the  work  began.  No  time  was 
to  be  lost.  It  was  already  the  first  of  March,  and  but 
four  months  remained  to  manufacture  sixteen  hundred 
and  sixty  nautical  miles  of  calile,  and  to  prepare  for 
sea.  But  tlie  obstacles  once  cleared  away,  all  sprang 
to  their  work  with  new  hope  and  vigor. 

In  the  cable  to  be  made  for  the  new  line,  there  was 
but  little  change  from  that  of  the  last  3'ear,  Avhich 
had  proved  neai'ly  ])erfect.  Ex])erience,  however,  was 
constantly  suggesting  some  improvement ;  and  while 
the  general  form  and  size  were  retained,  a  slight 
change  in  the  outei*  covering  was  found  to  make  the 
cable  both  lighter  and  stronger.  Tlic  iron  wires  were 
galvanized,  which  secured  them  perfectly  from  rust  or 
corrosion  by  salt  water.  Thus  protected,  they  could 
dispense  with  the  preservative  mixture  of  the  foi-mer 
year.  This  left  the  cable  mucii  cleaner  and  whiter. 
Instead  of  its  black  coat,  it  had  the  fresh,  bright 
ap|)earance  of  new  rope.     It  had  another  advantage. 


m  I 


if.    !    I 


PREPARING  TO  RENEW  THE  RATTLE. 


303 


\i 


(  v| 


As  the  tarry  coating  was  sticky,  slight  IVaginonts  of 
wire  might  adhere  to  it,  and  do  injury,  a  danger  to 
which  the  new  cable  Avas  not  exposed.  At  the  same 
time,  galvanizing  the  wires  gave  tiiem  greater  ductility, 
so  that  in  the  case  of  a  heavy  strain  the  cal)le  would 
stretch  longer  without  breaking.  By  this  alteration  it 
was  rendered  more  than  four  hundrcd-weiii'ht  lighter 
per  mile,  and  would  bear  a  strain  of  nearly  half  a  ton 
more  than  the  one  laid  the  year  before. 

The  machinery  also  was  perfected  in  ever}-^  part, 
to  withstand  the  great  strain  which  might  be  brought 
upon  it  in  grappling  and  lifting  the  cable  from  the 
great  depths  of  the  Atlantic.  This  necessitated  al- 
most a  reconstruction  of  the  machinery,  together  with 
engines  of  greater  power,  applied  both  to  the  gear  for 
hauling  in  forward  and  that  for  paying  out  aft.  Thus, 
in  case  of  a  fault,  the  motion  of  the  shi{)  could  be 
easily  reversed,  and  the  cable  hauled  back  bv  the  imv- 
ing-out  machinerv,  without  waiting  for  the  long  and 
tedious  process  of  bringing  the  cable  round  from  the 
stern  to  the  bow  of  the  ship. 

But  the  most  marvellous  improvement  had  been  in 
the  method  of  testing  the  cable  foi-  the  discovery  of 
faults.  In  the  last  expedition,  a  grave  omission  had 
been  in  the  long  intervals  during  which  the  cable  was 
left  without  a  test  of  its  insulation.  Thus,  from  thirty 
to  thirty -five  minutes  in  each  hour  it  was  occupied 
with  tests  of  minor  importance,  which  would  not  indi- 


ill 

13 


L'  !'; 


'Ij 


pi 

it 


|: 


304        STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


cate  the  existence  of  a  fault,  so  that,  if  a  fault  oc- 
curred on  ship-board,  it  might  pass  over  the  stern,  and 
be  miles  away  before  it  was  discovered.  But  now  a 
new  and  ingenious  method  was  devised  by  Mr.  Wil- 
loughby  Smith,  by  which  the  cable  will  be  tested  every 
instant.  The  current  will  not  cease  to  flow  any  more 
than  the  blood  ceases  to  flow  in  human  veins.  The 
cord  is  vital  in  every  part,  and  if  touched  at  any  point 
it  reveals  the  Avound  as  instinctively  as  the  nerves  of  a 
living  man  flash  to  the  brain  a  wound  in  any  part  of 
the  human  frame. 

The  process  of  detecting  faults  is  too  scientific  to  be 
detailed  in  these  pages.  We  can  only  stand  in  silent 
wonder  at  the  result,  when  we  hear  it  stated  by  Mr. 
Varley,  that  the  system  of  testing  is  brought  to  such 
a  degree  of  perfection,  that  skilful  electricians  can 
point  out  minute  faults  with  an  unerring  accuracy 
"  even  when  they  are  so  small  that  they  would  not 
weaken  the  signals  through  the  Atlantic  cable  one 
millionth  part ! " 

Another  marvellous  result  of  science  was  the  exact 
report  obtained  of  the  state  of  that  portion  of  the  cable 
now  lying  in  the  sea.  The  electricians  at  "Valentia 
Avere  daily  experimenting  on  the  line  which  lay 
stretched  twelve  hundred  and  thirteen  miles  on  the 
bottom  of  the  deep,  and  pronounced  it  intact.  Not  a 
fault  could  be  found  from  one  end  to  the  other.  As 
when  a  master  of  the  organ  runs  his  hands  over  the 


PREPARING  TO  RENEW  THE  BATTLE. 


305 


keys,  and  tells  in  an  instant  if  it  bo  in  perfect  tune,  so 
did  these  skilful  manipulators,  fingering  at  the  end  of 
this  mightier  instrument,  declare  it  to  be  in  perfect 
tone,  ready  to  whisper  its  harmonies  through  the  seas. 
At  the  same  time,  the  ten  hundred  and  seventy  iiiiles 
of  cable  left  on  board  the  Great  Eastern  were  pro- 
nounced as  faultless  as  the  day  they  had  been  shipped 
on  board. 

With  such  conclusions  of  science  to  animate  and 
inspire  them,  the  great  task  of  manufacturing  nearly 
seventeen  hundred  miles  of  cable  once  more  began. 
And  while  this  work  went  on,  the  Great  Eastern,  that 
had  done  her  part  so  well  before,  again  opened  her 
sides,  and  the  mysterious  cord  was  drawn  into  her 
vast,  dark,  silent  womb,  from  which  it  was  to  issue 
only  into  the  darker  and  more  silent  bosom  of  the 
deep. 


!! 


n^r- 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


VIOTt)KV    AT    LAST. 


In  these  pages  we  have  led  our  readers  through 
twelve  long  years,  and  have  had  to  tell  many  a  tale  of 
disaster  and  defeat.  It  is  now  our  privilege  to  tell  of 
triumphant  success.  Victory  has  come  at  last,  but  not 
by  the  chance  of  fortune,  but  by  the  utmost  efforts  of 
man,  by  the  union  of  science  and  skill  with  indomit- 
able perseverance.  The  failure  of  the  last  year  was  a 
sad  disappointment ;  but  so  far  from  damping  the  cour- 
age of  those  embarked  in  the  enterprise,  it  only  roused 
them  to  a  more  gigantic  effort.  They  were  now  to 
prepare  for  a  fifth  expedition.  In  this  they  set  them- 
selves to  anticipate  every  possible  emergency,  and  to 
combine  the  elements  of  success  so  as  to  render  failure 
impossible. 

The  Great  Eastern  herself,  which  they  had  come  to 
regard  witli  a  kind  of  fondness,  a  feeling  of  affection 
and  pride,  as  the  ark.  that  was  to  bear  their  fortunes 
across  the  deep,  Avas  made  ready  for  her  crowning 
achievement.  For  months  Captain  Anderson  and  Mr. 
Halpin,  his  chief  officer,  worked  day  a.nd  night  to  get 
her  into  perfect  trim.    She  had  become  sadly  fouled 


ir  ■ 


VR'TOllV    A'r   liAST. 


307 


in  tier  many  voyages.  As  she  swum  the  seas,  a  thou- 
sand  things  chmg  to  her  as  to  a  floating  island,  till  her 
hull  was  oncrustud  with  mussels  and  barnacles  two 
feet  thick,  and  long  seaweed  Haunted  from  her  sides. 
Like  a  bravo  old  war-horse,  long  neglected,  she  needed 
a  thorough  grooming,  to  have  her  hair  combed  and 
lier  limbs  well  rubbed  down,  to  fit  her  to  take  the 
field.  But  it  was  not  an  easy  matter  to  got  under  the 
huge  creature,  to  give  her  such  a  dressing.  Yet  Cai>- 
tain  Anderson  was  equal  to  the  emergency.  lie  con- 
trived a  simple  instrument  by  which  evciy  part  of  her 
bottom  was  raked  and  scrubbed.  Getting  rid  of  this 
rough,  shapeless  mass  would  make  her  feel  easy  and 
comfortable  at  sea,  and  add  at  least  a  knot  an  hour  to 
her  speed. 

The  boilers  too  were  thoroughly  cleansed  and  re- 
paired in  ever\'  part,  and  the  paddle-engines  were  so 
arranged  that  in  five  minutes  they  could  be  discon- 
nected, so  that  by  going  ahead  with  one  and  backing 
with  the  other,  the  ship  could  be  held  perfectly  at  rest 
or  be  turned  around  in  her  own  length,  a  very  import- 
ant matter  Avhen  they  should  come  to  fish  in  deep 
waters  for  the  bi'oken  end  of  the  cable.  To  prepare 
for  this,  she  Avas  armetl  with  clrjns  and  ropes  and  irons 
of  the  most  formidable  kind.  For  grappling  the  cable, 
she  took  on  board  twenty  miles  of  rope,  which  would 
bear  a  strain  of  thirty  tons,  probably  the  largest  fish- 
ing-line used  since  the  days  of  Noah  ! 


1 


w 


308        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

The  cable  was  manufactured  at  the  rate  of  twenty 
miles  a  day,  and  as  fast  as  delivered  and  found  ])erfect, 
was  coiled  on  board.  And  now  the  electricians  tried 
their  skill  to  outdo  all  that  they  had  done  before.  As 
Captain  Anderson  observed,  it  seemed  as  if  never 
had  so  much  brain  power  been  concentrated  on  the 
problem  of  success.  The  cable  itself  furnished  the 
grandest  subject  of  experiment.  As  every  week  added 
more  than  a  hundred  miles  to  its  length,  there  was 
constant  opportunity  to  try  the  electric  current  on 
longer  distances  and  with  new  conditions.  The  results 
obtained  showed  the  rapid  and  marvellous  progress  of 
electrical  science.     Said  The  Times  : 


"The  science  of  making,  testing,  and  laying  cables  has  so 
much  improved  that  an  undetected  fault  in  an  insulated  wire 
has  now  become  literally  impossible,  while  so  much  are  the 
instruments  for  signalling  improved,  that  not  only  can  a 
sliglit  fault  be  disregarded  if  necessary,  but  it  is  even  easy  to 
xcork  through  a  submarine  icire  tcith  a  foot  of  its  copper 
conductor  stripped  and  hare  to  the  loater.  This  latter 
result,  astonishing  as  it  may  appear,  has  actually  been 
achieved  for  some  days  past  with  the  whole  Atlantic  cable 
on  board  the  Great  Eastern.  Out  of  a  length  of  more  than 
one  thousand  seven  hundred  miles,  a  coil  has  been  taken 
from  the  centre,  the  copper  conductor  strij)ped  clean  of  its 
insulation  for  a  foot  in  length,  and  in  this  condition  lowered 
over  the  vessel's  side  till  it  rested  on  the  ground.  Yet 
through  this  the  clearest  signals  have  been  sent — so  clear, 
indeed,  as  at  one  time  to  raise  the  question  whether  it  would 


VICTORY  AT   LAST. 


309 


not  be  wortli  while  to  grapple  for  the  first  old  Atlantic  cable 
ever  laid,  and  with  these  new  ins<^ruments  working  gently 
through  it  for  a  year  or  so,  at  least  make  it  pay  cost. " 

As  other  things  were  on  the  same  gigantic  scale,  by 
the  time  the  big  ship  had  lier  cargo  and  stores  on 
board,  she  was  Avell  laden.  Of  tlio  cable  alone  tliere 
were  two  thousand  four  hundred  miles,  coiled  in  three 
immense  tanks  as  the  year  before.  Of  tliis  seven 
hundred  and  forty-eight  miles  were  a  part  of  the  cable 
of  the  last  expedition.  The  tanks  alone,  with  the 
■water  in  them,  weighed  over  a  thousand  tons ;  and  the 
cable  which  they  held,  four  tiiousand  tons  more ;  be- 
sides which  she  liad  to  carry  eight  thousand  five  hun- 
dred tons  of  coal  and  five  hundred  tons  of  telegraph 
stores,  making  fourteen  thousand  tons,  besides  eiigines, 
rigging,  etc.,  which  made  nearly  as  much  more.  So 
enormous  was  the  burden,  that  it  was  thought  prudent 
not  to  take  on  board  all  her  coal  before  she  left  the 
Medwa\',  especially  as  the  channel  was  winding  and 
shallow.  It  was  therefore  arranged  that  about  a  third 
of  her  coal  should  be  taken  in  at  Tjcrohaven,  on  the 
south-west  coast  of  Ireland.  With  this  exception,  her 
lading  was  complete. 

The  time  iov  tle[)arture  had  been  fixed  for  the  last 
day  of  June,  and  so  admirable  had  been  the  arrange- 
ments, and  such  the  diligence  of  all  concerned,  that 
exactly  at  the  hour  of  noon,  she  loosened  from  her 
moorings,  and  began  to  move.     It  was  well  that  she 


810 


STOUY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


P'.    |i 


;  1 


had  not  on  board  her  whole  cargo ;  for  as  it  ^vas,  she 
drew  nearly  thirty-two  feet.  Never  had  any  keel 
pressed  so  deep  in  those  waters.  It  required  skilful 
handling  to  get  her  safely  to  the  sea.  Gently  and 
softly  she  floated  down,  over  bars  where  she  almost 
grazed  the  sand,  where  l>ut  a  few  inches  lifted  her 
enormous  hull  above  the  river's  bed.  But  at  length 
the  rising  tide  bears  lier  safely  over,  and  she  is  afloat 
in  the  deeper  waters  of  the  Chan  lel.  At  first  the  sea 
did  not  give  her  a  very  gracious  welcome.  The  wind 
was  dead  ahead,  and  the  waves  dashed  furiously 
against  her ;  but  she  kept  steadily  on,  tossing  their 
spray  on  high,  as  if  they  had  struck  against  the  rocks 
of  Eddystone  lighthouse.  In  four  or  five  days  she  had 
passed  down  the  Irish  coast,  and  was  quietly  anchored 
in  the  harbor  at  Bereliaven,  wliere  she  was  soon  joined 
by  the  other  vessels  of  the  squadron. 

The  Telegraph  fleet  was  not  the  same  as  that  of  the 
last  year.  The  Government  could  spare  but  a  single 
ship ;  but  the  Terrible,  which  had  accompanied  the 
(ireat  Eastern  on  the  former  expedition,  was  still  there 
to  represent  the  majesty  of  Enghmd.  Tlie  William 
Corry,  a  vessel  of  two  thousand  tons,  bore  the  ponder- 
ous sliore  end,  which  was  to  be  laid  out  thirty  miles 
from  the  Irish  coast,  while  the  Albany  and  the  Med- 
way  were  ships  cliartered  by  tlie  Company.  Tlie  lat- 
ter carried  several  hundred  miles  of  the  last  year's 
cable,  besides  one  of  heavier  proportions,  ninety  miles 


VICTORY   AT   LAST. 


311 


long,  to  be  stretched  across  the  mouth  of  the  Gulf  of 
St.  Lawrence. 

While  the  Great  Eastern  remained  at  Berehaven,  to 
take  in  her  final  stores  of  coal,  the  "William  Corry 
proceeded  around  the  coast  to  Valentia  to  lay  the  shore 
end.     She  arrived  off  the  harbor  on  the  morning  of 


"I 


i^ 


I 


i|s; 


3 


m 


SHORE    KNl) EXACT    SIZE. 


Saturday,  the  seventh  of  July,  and  immediately  began 
to  prepare  for  her  heav}'  task.  This  shoi'e  end  was  of 
tremendous  size,  weighing  twenty  tons  to  the  mile.  It 
was  bv  far  the  strongest  wire  cable  ever  made,  and  in 
short  lengths  was  stiff  as  an  iron  bar.  As  the  year 
before,  the  cable  was  to  be  brought  off  on  a  bridge  of 
boats  reaching  from  the  ship  to  the  foot  of  the  cliff. 


^  jr 


If 


11  i 


312 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


All  the  fishermen's  boats  were  gatliered  from  alon^^  the 
shore,  while  H.  M.  S.  llaccoon,  which  was  guarding 
that  part  of  the  coast,  sent  up  her  boats  to  help,  so 
that,  as  they  all  mustered  in  line,  there  were  fort}'-  of 
them,  making  a  long  pontoon-bridge ;  and  Irisli  boat- 
men with  eager  looks  and  strong  hands  were  standing 
along  the  line,  to  grasp  tiie  ponderous  chain.  All  Avent 
"well,  and  by  one  o'clock  the  cable  Avas  landed,  and  its 
end  brought  up  the  cliff  to  the  station.  The  signals 
were  found  to  be  perfect,  and  the  William  Corry  then 
slowly  drew  off  to  sea,  unlimbering  her  stiff  shore  end, 
till  she  had  cast  over  the  whole  thirty  miles.  At  three 
o'clock  next  morning  she  telegraphed  through  the  cable 
that  her  work  was  done,  and  she  had  buoyed  the  end 
in  water  a  hundred  fathoms  deep.  Describing  the 
scene,  the  correspondent  of  the  London  News  says  : 

"  In  its  leading'  features  it  presented  a  striking  difference 
to  the  ceremony  of  last  year.  Earnest  gravity  and  a  deep- 
seated  determination  to  repress  all  sliow  of  the  entluisiasm 
of  which  everybody  was  full,  was  vei-y  manifest.  Tlie  ex- 
citement was  below,  instead  of  above,  the  surface.  Speech- 
making,  hurrahing,  public  congratulations,  and  vaunts  of 
confidence  were,  as  it  seemed,  avoided  as  if  on  purpose. 
Tliere  was  something  far  more  touching  in  the  quiet  and 
reverent  solemnity  of  the  spectators  yesterday  than  in  the 
slightly  boisterous  joviality  of  the  peasantry  last  year. 
Nothing  could  prevent  the  scene  being  intensely  dramatic, 
but  the  prevailing  tone  of  the  drama  was  serious  instead  of 
comic  and  triumphant.     The  old  crones  in  tattered  garments 


< 


ntiM' 


'  ! 


If 


!  I     /! 


VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


313 


who  cowered  together,  dudheen  in  moutli,  their  g-audj'  col- 
ored shawls  tightly  drawn  over  head  and  under  the  chin — 
the  barefooted  boys  and  girls,  who  by  long  practice  walked 
over  sharp  and  jagged  rocks,  which  cut  up  boots  and  shoes, 
with  perfect  impunity — the  men  at  work  uncovering  the 
trench,  and  winding  in  single  file  up  and  down  the  hazard- 
ous path  cut  by  the  cablemen  in  the  otherwise  inaccessible 
rock — the  patches  of  bright  color  furnished  by  the  red  petti- 
coats and  cloaks — the  ragged  garments,  only  kept  from  fall- 
ing to  pieces  by  bits  of  string  and  tape — the  good  old  parish 
priest,  who  exercises  mild  and  gentle  spiritual  sway  over  the 
loving  subjects  of  whom  the  ever-popular  Knight  of  Kerry 
is  the  temporal  head,  looking  on  benignly  from  his  car — the 
bright  eyes,  supple  figui-es,  and  innocent  faces  of  the  peasant 
lasses,  and  the  earnestly  hopeful  expression  of  all — made  up 
a  picture  impossible  to  describe  with  justice.  Add  to  this, 
the  startling  abruptness  with  which  the  tremendous  cliffs 
stand  flush  out  of  the  water,  the  alternations  of  bright 
wild  flo^v^l*s  and  patches  of  verdure  with  the  most  desolate 
barrenness,  the  mountain  sheep  indifferently  cropping  the 
short,  sweet  grass,  and  the  undercurrent  of  consciousness  of 
the  mighty  interests  at  stake,  and  few  scenes  will  seem  more 
important  and  interesting  than  that  of  yesterdaj'." 

As  the  ships  are  now  ready  for  sea,  and  all  who  are 
to  embark  have  come  on  board,  we  may  look  about  us 
at  the  personnel  of  the  expedition.  "Who  are  here? 
"We  recognize  manv  old  familiar  faces,  that  we  have 
seen  in  former  campaigns — gallant  men  who  have  had 
many  a  sea-fight  in  this  peaceful  war.  First,  the  eye 
seeks  the  tall  form  of  Captain  Anderson.    There  he 


il 


! 


m 


.1 


.^i 


314 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


HI  I 


::  I 


is,  modest  and  grave,  of  few  worils,  but  seeing  every 
thing,  watching  every  thing,  and  ruling  every  thing 
with  a  quiet  power.  And  there  is  his  second  officer, 
Mr.  Ilalpin,  wlio  keeps  a  sharp  lookout  after  the 
crew,  to  see  that  every  man  does  his  (hity.  AVhile 
he  thus  keeps  watch  of  all  on  board.  Staff  Com- 
mander ^Foriarty,  R.  X.,  comes  on  deck,  with  in- 
struments in  hand,  to  look  after  the  heavenly  bodies, 
and  reckon  the  ship's  latitude  and  longitude.  This 
is  an  old  veteran  in  the  service,  who  has  been  in 
all  the  expeditions,  and  it  would  be  quite  '•  improper," 
even  if  it  were  possible,  for  a  cable  to  be  laid  across 
the  Atlantic  without  his  presence  and  aid.  And 
here  comes  Mr.  Canning,  the  engineer,  whose  deep- 
sea  soundings,  the  last  year,  were  on  a  scale  of  such 
magnitude,  and  who,  if  he  cannot  well  dive  deeper, 
means  to  pull  stronger  the  next  time.  That  slight 
form  yonder  is  Professor  Thomson,  of  Glasgow,  a  man 
who  in  his  knowledge  of  the  subtle  element  to  be 
brought  into  play,  and  the  enthusiasm  he  brings  to  its 
study,  is  the  very  genius  of  electrical  science ;  and  this 
is  Mr.  YarleN'',  who  seems  to  have  the  lightning  in  his 
fingers,  and  to  whom  the  world  owes  some  marvellous 
discoveries  of  the  laws  of  electricity.  Mr.  Willoughby 
Smith,  a  worthy  associate  in  these  studies  and  discov- 
eries, goes  out  on  the  ship  as  electrician. 

And  here  is  ^fr.  Glass,  the  managing  director  of  the 
Telegraph  Construction  and   Maintenance  Company, 


•Jl 


m. 


]       ( 
!       i 


LOFiD      KtLVlN     |S1H      WILLIAM       IHOMSDN). 


nitf  I 


Hi' 

ii 

1 

^H 

!                ■. 

1 

t 

k 

in 


ft  1 

;|i 

|y 

VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


315 


which  has  undortakon  by  contract  to  manufacture  this 
cable  and  lay  it  safely  across  the  ocean ;  anil  j\Ir. 
Gooch,  chairman  of  the  company  that  owns  the  Great 
Eastern — two  gentlemcm  to  whom  the  Atlantic  Tele- 
graph is  under  the  <ji'eatest  obligation,  since  it  was 
they  who,  six  months  bofi^re,  when  the  project  seemed 
in  danger  of  being  given  up  or  postponed  for  years, 
took  Mr.  Field  by  the  hand,  and  cheered  him  on  to 
a  last  effort.  Blessings  on  their  hearts  of  oak !  Mr. 
Gooch  accompanies  the  ship,  while  Mr.  Glass,  keep- 
ing Mr.  Varle}'  at  his  side  as  electrician,  remains  on 
shore,  to  receive  reports  of  the  daily  progress  of  the 
expedition,  and  to  issue  his  orders.  What  a  post  of 
observation  was  that  telegraph  house  on  the  cliffs  of 
Valentia  !  It  commanded  a  far  broader  horizon  than 
the  top  of  Fiesole,  from  which  Galileo  looked  down  on 
the  valley  of  the  Arno,  and  up  at  the  stars.  Was 
there  ever  a  naval  commander  favored  with  a  power 
of  vision  that  could  sweep  the  boundless  sea?  What 
would  Nelson  have  said,  if  he  had  had  a  spy-glass 
with  which  he  could  watch  ships  in  action  two  thou- 
sand miles  away,  and  issue  his  oi'ders  to  a  fleet  on  the 
other  side  of  the  ocean  ?  AVith  such  a  lonf::  range, 
he  might  almost  have  fought  the  Battle  of  the  Nile 
from  his  home  in  England. 

Standing  on  such  a  spot,  and  surrounded    by  such 
men,  representing  the  capital,  the  science,  and  the 


810 


STOllY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGIlAril. 


skill  of  Englatul,  with  uU  thoso  galkint  sliips  in  siyht, 
Olio's  heart  miglit  well  beat  high.  Bat  there  were 
other  retlectioiKS  that  satUleiied  tho  hour,  and  causeil 
some  at  least  to  look  onco  more  on  the  rocks  of  Va- 
lentia  with  deep  emotion.  Some  of  their  old  compan- 
ions-in-arins  had  fallen  oiiL  of  tiie  ranks,  while  the  bat- 
tle was  not  yet  won.  Hrett,  Mr.  Field's  lii-sl  friend  in 
England,  was  in  his  grave.  Beyond  the  Atlantic,  Cap- 
tains Hudson  and  lierryinan  slept  tho  sleep  that  knows 
no  wakin"'.  Tiiev  were  not  forgotten  bv  their  surviv- 
ors,  who  mourned  that  those  who  luul  toiled  with  them 
in  former  days,  were  n<jt  here  to  share  their  triumph. 

The  feeling,  therefore,  of  many  on  this  occasion, 
was  not  one  elate  with  pride  and  hope,  but  subdued 
bv  serious  thoufjhts  and  teniler  memories.  In  bar- 
mony  with  this  feeling,  and  with  the  great  work  which 
they  were  about  to  undertake,  it  was  proposed  that 
before  the  expedition  sailed  they  should  hold  a  solemn 
religious  service. 

Was  there  ever  a  litter  place  or  a  fitter  hour  for 
prayer  than  here,  in  the  presence  of  the  great  sea  to 
which  they  were  about  to  commit  their  lives  and  their 
precious  trust  ?  The  first  expedition  ever  sent  forth 
had  been  consecrated  by  prayer.  On  that  very  spot, 
nine  years  before,  all  heads  were  uncovered  and  al' 
forms  bent  low,  at  the  solemn  words  of  supplicatio 
and  there  had  the  Earl  of  Carlisle — since  gone  to  hi 
honored  gravel-cheered  them  on  with  high  religious 


t 


n 


VTfTORY  AT  LAST. 


317 


hopes,  describing  the  sliips  which  were  sent  forth  on 
such  a  mission,  as  "beautiful  upon  the  waters  as  were 
the  feet  up(jn  the  mountains  of  them  that  publish  the 
gospel  oF  j)eace." 

In  such  a  spirit  two  of  the  directors — Mr.  Bevan, 
of  London,  and  Mr.  Bewlev,  of  DubUn — sent  invita- 
tions  to  a  number  of  persons  to  meet  at  Valentia,  as 
the  expedition  was  about  to  sail,  and  commend  it  to 
the  favor  of  Almighty  God.  Captain  Anderson  had 
greatly  desired  to  be  with  them  at  this  jiarting  ser- 
vice, but  the  ships  were  at  Berehaven,  and  they  were 
just  embarking  for  sea.  But  though  the  officers  could 
not  be  present,  a  hii-ge  company  came  together.  Said 
an  Irish  paper  :  "  Men  of  different  religious  denomina- 
tion, and  of  various  professions  in  life — Irishmen, 
Englishmen,  and  Scotchmen — joined  in  such  a  service 
as  has  never  been  held  in  this  island.''  It  was  a  scene 
long  to  be  remembered,  as  they  bowed  together  before 
the  God  antl  Father  of  all.  Their  brethi-cn,  who  were 
about  to  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  felt  their  depend- 
ence on  a  Higher  Power.  Tlieir  preparations  were 
complete.  All  that  man  could  do  was  done.  They 
had  exhausted  every  resource  of  science  and  skill. 
The  issue  now  remained  with  Ilim  who  controls  the 
Avinds  and  Avaves.  Therefore  was  it  most  fit  that,  at 
the  very  moment  of  embarking,  those  who  remained 
behind  should,  as  it  were,  kneel  upon  the  cliff,  and, 
with  outstretched  hands,  commit  them  to  Him  who 


'I 

mi 


i  ( 


(1 


m 


i 


! 


14 


m 

m 


318 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Mm 


U.''( 


i 


alone  spreadeth  out  the  heavens  and  ruleth  the  raging 
of  the  sea. 

In  all  this  there  is  something  of  antique  stamp, 
something  which  makes  us  think  of  the  sublime  men 
of  an  earlier  and  better  time ;  of  the  Pilgrim  Fathers 
kneeling  on  the  deck  of  their  little  ship  at  Ley  den,  as 
they  were  about  to  seek  a  refuge  and  a  home  in  the 
forests  of  the  New  World ;  and  of  Columbus  and  his 
companions  celebrating  a  solemn  service  before  their 
departure  from  Spain.  And  so  with  labor  and  with 
prayer  did  this  great  expedition  go  forth  once  more 
from  the  shores  of  Ireland,  bearing  the  liopus  of  science 
and  of  civilization — with  courage  and  skill  looking  out 
from  the  bow  across  the  stormy  waters,  and  a  religious 
faith,  like  that  of  Columbus,  standing  at  the  helm. 

On  Friday  morning,  the  thirteenth  of  July,  the  fleet 
finally  bade  adieu  to  the  land.  Was  Friday  an  unlucky 
day  ?  Some  of  the  sailors  thought  so,  <'tnd  would  have 
Ijeen  glad  to  leave  a  day  before  or  after.  TJut  Columbus 
sailed  on  Friday,  and  discovered  the  Now  AVorid  on 
Frida}' ;  and  so  this  expedition  put  to  sea  on  Friday, 
and,  as  a  good  Providence  would  have  it,  reiiched  land 
on  the  other  side  of  the  Atlantic  on  the  same  day  of 
the  week  !  As  tiie  ships  disappeared  below  the  horizon, 
Mr.  Glass  and  Mr.  Varley  went  up  on  their  watch- 
tower— not  to  look,  but  to  listen  for  the  first  voice  from 
the  sea.  The  shii)s  bore  away  for  the  buoy  where  lay 
the  end  of  the  shore  line ;  but  the  weather  was  thick 


w 


VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


319 


and  foggy,  with  frequent  bursts  of  rain,  and  they  could 
not  see  far  on  the  water.  For  an  hour  or  two  they 
went  saihng  round  and  round,  hke  sea-gulls  in  seai'ch 
of  prey.  At  length  the  Albany  caught  sight  of  the 
buoy  tossing  on  the  waves,  and,  firing  a  signal  gun, 
bore  down  straight  upon  it.  The  cable  was  soon  hauled 
up  from  its  bed,  a  hundred  fathoms  deep,  and  brought 
over  the  stern  of  the  Great  Eastern ;  and  the  watchers 
on  shore,  who  had  been  waiting  with  some  impatience, 
saw  the  first  flash,  and  Yarley  read,  "  Got  the  shore 
end — all  right — going  to  make  the  splice."  Then  all 
was  still,  and  tiiey  knew  that  that  delicate  operation 
was  going  on.  Quick,  nimble  hands  tore  off  the  cover- 
in"-  from  some  vards  of  the  shore  end  of  the  main 
cable,  till  they  came  to  the  core ;  then,  swiftly  unwind- 
ing the  copper  wires,  they  laid  them  together,  twining 
them  as  closely  antl  carefully  as  a  silken  braid.  Thus 
str!i)[)ed  and  bare  this  new-born  child  of  the  sea  was 
wrapped  in  swaddling-clothes,  covered  up  with  many 
coatings  of  gutta-percha,  and  hempen  rope,  and  strong 
iron  wires,  the  wliole  bound  round  ami  rt^unil  with 
heavy  bands,  and  tlie  splicing  was  complete.  Signals 
were  now  sent  through  the  whole  cable  on  board  the 
Great  Eastern  and  back  to  tlu;  telegrapli  house  at 
Valentia,  and  the  wliole  length,  two  thousand  four 
hundred  and  forty  nautical  miles,  was  reported  perfect. 
And  so  with  lif^ht  hearts  thev  bore  awav.  It  was  a  little 
after  three  o'clock.     A.s  they  turned  to  the  west,  the 


i 


■. '  \  ■ 


1  H     ( 


ii 


Pi 


If 


i 


f: 


\^ 


320        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


i 


i  i 


following  was  the  "order  of  battle" :  the  Terrible  went 
ahead,  standing  off  on  the  starboard  bow,  to  keep  other 
vessels  out  of  the  course ;  the  Medway  was  on  the  port, 
and  the  Albany  on  the  starboard  quarter,  ready  to 
pick  up  or  let  go  a  buoy,  or  to  do  other  work  that 
might  be  required.  All  these  ships  were  to  keep  their 
allotted  positions,  within  signalling  distance  of  the 
Great  Eastern,  and  at  any  time  that  she  was  heard 
firing  guns,  they  were  to  close  in  with  her  to  render 
assistance.  Their  course  lay  thirty  miles  to  the  south 
of  that  of  the  last  year,  so  that  there  could  be  no 
danger,  in  fishing  for  the  old  cable,  of  disturbing  the 
new. 

Dr.  Russell,  the  brilliant  historian  of  the  Expedition 
of  1805,  Avas  not  on  board  the  Great  Eastern  this 
year.  He  had  left  England  a  few  weeks  before  for 
the  scene  of  the  war  in  Germany.  His  place  was 
supplied  by  Mr.  John  C.  Deane,  the  Secretary  of  the 
Anglo-American  Company,  whose  "  Diary  of  the  Ex- 
pedition "  furnishes  a  faithful  record  of  the  incidents 
of  this  memorable  voyage.  If  the  story  be  not  quite 
so  thrilling  as  that  of  the  year  before,  it  is  because  it 
has  not  to  tell  of  such  fatal  accidents.  It  has  the 
monotony  of  success.  A  few  pages  from  tliis  diary, 
giving  its  most  important  portions,  will  render  this 
narrative  complete. 

The  voyage  began  with  good  weatlier  and  every 
omen  of  success.     Friday,  indeed,  was  a  day  of  fog 


VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


321 


and  rain.  At  the  very  time  they  were  making  the 
splice  with  the  shore  end,  the  rain  was  pouring  on  the 
deck.  But  in  a  few  hours  it  cleared  off,  and  Satur- 
day and  Sunday,  Mr.  Field  writes  in  his  journal, 
''  Weather  fine ;  "  and  Monday,  "  Calm,  beautiful  day. 
Signals  perfect."  Owing  to  the  improved  system 
adopted  by  the  chief  electrician,  communication  Avith 
the  shore  was  kept  up  even  while  the  tests  for  insula- 
tion were  going  on.* 

*  The  new  method  Is  thus  explained  by  Mr.  Deane  : 
"  The  fundamental  difference  between  last  year's  system  of  testing 
and  that  of  tlie  present  expedition  is,  that  now  all  the  ordinary  tests  for 
continuity  may  be  made  simultaneously  with  the  test  for  Insulation, 
which  is  not  interrupted  at  all ;  whereas,  last  year,  during  half  the  time 
spent  in  laying  the  cable,  the  insulation  test  was  wholly  neglected. 

"  Last,  year,  each  hour  was  divided  into  four  parts.  The  first,  half  of 
the  hour  was  spent  in  testing  for  insulation.  During  the  second  half, 
which  was  divided  into  three  periods  of  t«n  minutes  each,  tests  were 
made  to  ascertain  the  resistance  of  the  conductor  and  to  prove  the  con- 
tinuity of  the  same.  All  these  tests  were  of  such  a  nature  as  to  afford 
no  criterion  whatever  of  the  state  of  the  insulation  during  their  con- 
tinuance, so  that  during  the  half  of  each  hour,  or,  in  other  words, 
during  half  the  time  spent  in  laying  the  cable,  the  insulation  test  was 
neglected.  Also,  while  the  insulation  test  was  being  made,  there  was 
no  means  of  communicating  with  the  shore,  as  the  observations  were 
taken  on  board  only.  This  j-ear,  a  test  for  insulation  is  constantly  kept 
on,  and,  by  Mr.  Willoughby  Smith's  arrangement,  corresponding  obser- 
vations are  made  both  on  ship  and  shore.  At  stated  times  during  the 
hour,  the  continuity  test  is  made  at  the  shore  station  l)y  means  of  a 
condenser  applied  to  the  conductor  of  the  cable.  The  effect  of  this  is 
to  increase  the  deflection  on  the  ship's  insulation  galvanometer,  thus 
serving  as  a  continuity  test.  Communications  from  shore  to  ship  are 
also  made  by  these  means.  The  ship  can  send  signals  to  the  shore  by 
21 


if 

:     »        ! 
!      *     . 

-:'■   ■ 


'.  ti 


i 


r  . 


-J 


fil 


I'-* 


iw 


f\ 


323 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Li  I    ! 


Every  possible  precaution  was  taken  to  guard 
against  sucli  accidents  as  liad  marred  the  success  of 
the  year  before.  Remembering  how  small  a  thing 
had  sufficed  to  puncture  the  cable,  the  men  in  the 
tank  were  not  allowed  to  wear  boots  or  shoes  with 
nails  in  their  heels,  but  were  cased  from  head  to  foot 
in  canvas  dresses,  drawn  over  their  ordinary  sailor 
costume,  and,  with  slippers  on  their  feet,  they  glided 
about  softlv  as  Miosts.  But  we  turn  to  Mr.  Deane's 
diary  for  a  record  of  the  progress  from  day  to  day  : 

"Sunday,  July  15. — All  through  yesterday  the  paying-out 
machinery  worked  so  smoothly — the  electrical  tests  were  so 
perfect — the  weather  was  so  fiue,  that  fresh  confidence  in 
the  ultimate  result  has  been  naturally  inspired.  The  recol- 
lection, however,  of  the  reverses  of  the  expedition  of  1865  is 
always  before  those  who  have  the  greatest  reliance  on  suc- 
cess; and  there  is  a  quiet  repose  about  the  manner  of  the 
chief  practical  men  on  board,  which  is  an  earnest  that  they 
will  not  allow  themselves  to  be  carried  away  by  the  smooth- 
ness of  twenty-four  hours'  events.  The  convoy  kept  their 
position  accurately'  during  the  day.  The  Terrible  signalled 
that  a  man  had  fallen  overboard.  Her  cutter  was  speedily 
lowered.  The  sailor  had,  however,  laid  hold  of  a  rope 
thrown  to  him  from  the  frigate,  before  the  boat  reached 
him. 

simply  reversing  the  current  for  certain  lengths  of  time,  answering  to 
some  understood  code,  or  by  incre"siiig  and  diminishing  the  tension  of 
the  line,  according  to  a  preiirraiigei'  Ian.  All  these  operations  may  he 
performed  without  interrupting  the  insulation  test,  except  for  a  few 
seconds  while  the  current  is  being  reversed.  So  far  for  the  new  system 
in  the  electrical  room  as  compared  with  last  year." 


'"T 


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VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


323 


"Monday. — Still  everything  going  on  well.  The  sea  like 
a  mill-pond.  The  paying  out  of  the  cable  from  the  after 
tank  progressing  with  uniformity  and  steadiness,  and  the 
electrical  tests  perfect. 

' '  Our  track  is  about  thirty  miles  to  the  south  of  that  of  last 
year,  and  at  that  distance  we  passed  parallel  to  where  the 
telegraph  cable  parted  in  August,  1857.  Our  average  speed 
has  been  about  five  knots.  We  were  obliged  to  stop  the 
screw  engines  in  order  to  bring  down  to  that  speed,  and, 
moreover,  to  reduce  the  paddle  boiler  power.  Captain 
Anderson's  ingenious  mode  of  cleaning  the  ship's  bottom, 
which  he  carried  out  last  winter  at  Sheerness,  has  proved  to 
have  effected  this  very  desirable  object.  Mr.  Beckwith,  the 
engineer,  is  now  enabled  to  regulate  and  adjust  her  speed, 
and  get  more  out  of  the  ship  than  he  could  last  year,  when 
her  bottom  was  one  incrusted  mass  of  mussels. 

"Tuesday. — Another  twenty-four  hours  of  uninterrupted 
success.  All  day  yesterday  it  was  so  calm  that  the  masts  of 
our  convoy  were  reflected  in  the  ocean,  an  unusual  thing  to 
see.  A  large  shoal  of  porpoises  gambolled  about  us  for  half 
an  hour.  A  glorious  sunset,  and  later,  a  crescent  moon, 
which  we  hope  to  see  in  the  brightness  of  her  full,  lighting 
our  way  into  Trinity  Bay  before  the  days  of  this  July  shall 
have  ended." 


■i| 


\m 


But  the  whole  night  did  not  pass  away  so  tranquilly. 
By  midnight  the  rain  fell  fast,  and  the  wind  blew 
fiercely,  and  then  occurred  the  only  real  alarm  of  the 


voyage. 


The  scene  is  thus  described  by  Mr.  Deane ; 


"All  went  on  well  until  twenty  minutes  past  twelve  A.M., 
Greenwich  time,  when  the  first  real  sliock  was  given  to  the 


i  I 


l\  i 


324 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGUAIMI. 


success  which  has  hitherto  attended  us,  and  this  time  we  Imd 
real  cause  to  be  aliiriried.  A  foul  flake  took  place  in  the 
after  tank.  The  enjj'ines  were  immediately  turned  astern, 
and  the  i^ayiuf?  out  of  the  cable  stopped.  We  were  all  soon 
on  deck,  and  learned  tliat  the  runnini^  or  paying-out  part  of 
the  coil  had  caug'lit  tliree  turns  of  the  flake  immediately 
under  it,  carried  them  into  the  eye  of  the  coil,  fouling  tlie 
lay  out,  and  hauling  up  one  and  a  half  turns  from  the  out- 
side, and  five  turns  in  the  eye  of  the  under  flake.  This 
was  stopped,  fortunately,  before  entering  the  jiaying  out 
machinery'.  Stoppers  of  hemp  also  were  put  on  near  the 
V-wheel  astern,  and  Mr.  Canning  gave  orders  to  stand  by  to 
let  go  the  buoy.  This  was  not  very  cheering  to  hear,  but 
his  calm  and  collected  manner  gave  us  all  confidence  that 
his  skill  and  experience  Avould  extricate  the  cable  from  the 
obvious  danger  in  which  it  Avas  placed.  No  fishing  line  was 
ever  entangled  worse  than  the  rope  was  when  thrust  up  in 
apparently  hopeless  knots  from  the  eye  of  the  coil  to  the 
deck.  There  at  least  five  hundred  feet  of  rope  lay  in  this 
state,  in  the  midst  of  thick  rain  and  increasing  wind.  The 
cable  crew  set  to  work  under  their  chief  engineer's  instruc- 
tions to  disentangle  it.  Mr.  Halpin  was  there  too,  patiently 
following  the  bights  as  they  showed  themselves  ;  the  crew 
now  passing  them  forward,  now  aft,  until  at  last  the  charac- 
ter of  the  tangle  was  seen,  and  soon  it  became  apparent  that 
ere  long  the  cable  would  be  cleared.  All  this  time  Captain 
Anderson  was  at  the  taffi*ail  anxiously  watching  the  sti'ain 
on  the  rope,  which  he  could  scarcely  make  out,  the  night 
was  so  dark,  and  endeavoring  to  keep  it  up  and  down,  going 
on  and  reversing  with  paddle  and  screw.  When  one  reflects 
for  a  moment  upon  the  size  of  the  ship,  and  the  enormous 
mass  she  presents  to  the  wind,  the  difficulty  of  keeping  her 


f 


VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


3t?r. 


storn,  under  the  circumstances,  over  the  oahle,  cnii  ho 
ajipreciated.  The  port  paddle-wheel  was  discojinocted  ;  hut 
shortly  afterward  there  was  a  shift  of  wind,  and  the  vessel 
canted  tlie  wron<?  way.  Welcome  voices  were  now  heard 
imssing  the;  word  aft  from  the  tanic  tliat  the  hights  were 
cleared,  and  to  pay  out.  Then  the  lujgc  stoppers  were 
{^eJitly  loosened,  and  at  five  minutes  past  two  A.M.,  to  tlio 
joy  of  all,  we  were  once  more  discharging  the  cable.  They 
veered  it  away  in  the  tank  to  clear  away  the  foul  flake  until 
three  A.M.,  when  the  screw  and  paddle  engines  were  slowed 
so  as  to  reduce  the  speed  of  the  ship  to  four  and  a  half  knots. 
During  all  this  critical  time  there  was  an  entire  aksence  of 
noise  and  confusion.  Every  order  was  silently  obeyed,  and 
the  cable  men  and  crew  worked  with  hearty  good-will.  Mr. 
Canning  has  had  exj)erience  of  foul  flakes  before,  and  showed 
that  he  knew  what  to  do  in  the  emergency.  But  what  of 
the  electrical  condition  of  the  cable  during  this  period  ? 
Simply,  that  through  its  entire  length  it  Avas  perfect." 


! 

i 

I; 

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■ 


Thus,  after  three  anxious  hours,  the  danger  was 
past,  and  the  next  morning  the  report  of  the  ship  is, 
"  A  fresh  breeze  from  the  southward,  a  dull  gray  sky, 
with  occasional  rain,  and  a  moderate  sea." 

"Thursday. — There  was  a  fresh  breeze  in  the  afternoon 
yesterday,  increasing  toward  evening.  It  brought  a  heavy 
swell  on  the  port  quarter,  which  caused  the  ship  to  roll. 
The  paying  out  from  the  after  tank  went  on  steadily.  Two 
of  the  large  buoys  were  lifted  by  derrick  from  the  deck  near 
the  bows  of  the  ship,  and  placed  in  position  on  the  port  and 
starboard  side  of  the  forward  pick-up  machinery,  ready  for 
letting  go  if  necessary.     The  sun  went  down  with  an  angry 


I  i 


I 


320 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELKOUAPII. 


look,  and  the  scud  came  rapidly  from  the  eastward,  the  sea 
rising.  A  wind  dead  aft  is  not  tlie  best  for  cable  laying, 
particularly  if  any  accident  should  take  place.  By  half-past 
eleven  to-night  we  shall  have  exhausted  the  contents  of  the 
after  tank,  and  the  cable  will  then  be  paid  out  from  the  fore 
tank  along  the  trough  to  the  stern,  the  distance  from  the 
centre  of  the  tank  to  the  paying-out  machinery  being  four 
hundred  and  ninety-four  feet.  Last  night  the  swell  was 
very  heavy,  to  which  the  Great  Eastern  proved  herself  not 
insensible.  Her  rolling,  like  everything  else  appertaining 
to  her,  is  done  on  a  grand  scale.  "We  see  tlie  liveliness  with 
which  that  operation  is  performed  on  board  the  Albany  and 
Medway,  and  we  are  not  at  all  disposed  to  be  too  critical  in 
our  observations  on  our  own  movements.  The  speed  of  the 
ship  was  kept  at  four  and  a  half  during  the  night — the 
slower  the  better,  is  the  opinion  of  all  on  hoard— f est ina 
lente.  We  are  consuming  about  one  hundred  tons  a  day  of 
the  seven  thousand  tons  of  coal  which  we  had  on  board 
when  we  left  Berehaven,  and  Mr.  Beckwith,  who  has  been 
engineer  of  the  Great  Eastern  from  her  first  voyage  to  the 
pre.sent  moment,  says  her  engines  were  never  in  better 
order  ;  and  their  appearance  and  working  do  him  and  his 
able  staif  of  assistant  engineers  the  greatest  credit. 

"Friday. — Yesterday  was  a  day  of  complete  success,  the 
paying  out  in  every  rfsjject  satisfactory.  The  wind  still  from 
the  eastward,  but  inclined  to  draw  to  the  northward,  the  sea 
entirely  gone  down.  As  Mr.  Canning  told  us  we  should  see 
the  after  tank  emptied  at  eleven  o'clock,  shi])'s  time,  we  were 
all  collected  there  about  ten  o'clock,  by  wliich  time  the  cable 
was  down  to  the  last  flake.  Next  to  having  daylight  for 
changing  from  the  after  to  the  fore  tank,  we  could  not  have 
had  a  more  favorable  time— clear  starlight,  no  wind,  and  a 


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VICTORY  AT   LAST. 


337 


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smootli  scii.  Looking,'  down  iiitt>  tlii"  tiiiik,  llio  sroiic  was 
liilflily  ])icturos(iii(>.  The  (•iil)l(>-\vutcli,  wliosc  lijriiiM's  wj-ro 
lijrlilcd  u|)  l)y  th<'  liuiips  siispciulcd  from  iihovo,  slowly  and 
cuutiously  lifted  llif  turns  of  the  coil  to  «'!is('  tlit'ir  path  to  tin- 
cyt'.  As  ciich  found  its  way  to  llic  drum,  tlic  woodt-u  floor 
of  the  tank  showed  itself,  and  then  we  saw  more  lloor,  and 
us  its  area  in(;re,'ise(l  tiie  rn\>\r  swept  aloiij,'"  its  surface  with  a 
low,  subdued  noise,  until,  with  a  ^iraeeful  curve,  it  mounted 
to  tlie  outlet,  wiiere  it  was  soon  to  join  a  fresh  su])ply  ;  and 
now  wo  hear  thi'  word  passed  that  they  have  arrived  at  the 
last  turn,  and  the  men  who  stood  on  the  staires  of  the  plat- 
form of  the  eye  with  the  hiyhl,  watch  the  arrival  of  the 
cable  and  pass  it  uj)  will:  tender  caution,  until  it  reaches 
the  summit  ;  then  it  rushes  down  a  wooden  incline  to  meet 
the  spliced  I'ope.  whicii  had  by  this  time  come  down  alonjf 
the  trouji'h  leadinj^-  from  the  forward  tank.  This  operation 
was  conducted  witii  yreat  skill  by  Mr.  fanning  and  his  cx- 
jM'rienced  jissistanls,  Mt'ssrs.  C'lifVord  and  Temple.  At  eleven 
minutes  i)ast  one  a.m.  (Oreenwich  time),  the  fresli  rope  was 
{joinji-  over  th(^  stei-n.  and  the  screw  engines  ffoin<c  ahead  at 
tliirteen  minutes  past  one.  A  watch  of  four  men  is  now  sta- 
tioned, fore  and  aft,  all  alony  the  lrou<^h,  whicli  is  illumi- 
nated by  many  Iami)s  at  short  distances  from  each  oilier.  A 
lamp  with  a  ifreen  li^i'lit  indicates  the  mile-mark  as  il  comes 
II))  from  the  tank,  and  this  siu"nal  is  repealed  until  it  reach«.s 
the  stcM'ii,  whei'e  il  is  recorded  by  the  cleric  who  k'eeps  the 
cabl(^-log,  in  an  ollice  ;Hl,ji)inini^'  the  ])ayini^-out  machinei-y. 
A  red  lamp  indicates  dan <i-er.  Durin*^'  the  daytime  red  and 
blue  ilas's  are  used.  All  throufrh  the  iiit^ht  the  sea  was 
smooth  as  ;,''la.ss,  and  by  this  morniii},''  we  saw  that  a  sensible 
imjjression  had  been  made  on  the  contents  of  the  fore  tank. 
The  ship  begins  to  lig-hten  at  the  bows,  and  by  this  time  to- 


I'l 


U 


m 


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m 


328 


STORY  OF  THE   ATLANTIC  TKI-KOKAI'Il. 


i'S 


inori'ow  will  come  up  more  us  the  cable  passes  out  of  the 
tank. 

"  SaUirday. — Yesterday  was  our  seventh  day  of  paying 
out  cable,  and  so  far  we  have  been  more  fortunate  than  the 
expedition  of  last  year.  During'  the  same  pei-iod  of  18(55, 
two  faults  had  occurred — one  on  the  twenty-fourtli  July,  the 
other  on  the  twenty-ninth — causing  a  detention  of  fifty-six 
hours.  At  three  P.M.  we  were  half-way.  and  passed  whei-e 
the  Atlantic  Cable  of  1858  parted  twice,  on  the  twenty-sixth 
and  twenty-eighth  of  June — sad  memories  to  mjuiy  I  We 
feel,  however,  that  every  hour  is  increasing  our  chance  of 
etfecting  this  great  work.  '  I  believe  we  shall  do  it  this 
time,  Jack,"  I  heard  one  of  our  crew  say  to  another  last 
liight.  'I  believe  so  too,  Bill,'  w^as  the  reply  ;  'ami  if  we 
don't,  we  deserve  to  do  it,  and  that's  all.'  It  blew  v(,'ry  hard 
fron»  two  o'clock  yesu-rd;'.y,  up  to  10  P.M..  by  whicii  time  the 
wind  gradually  found  its  way  fi-om  south-west  to  north-west, 
wliich  is  right  f.head,  just  what  we  want  for  cable-laying. 
The  Terrilde  and  the  two  other  ships  plunged  into  the  very 
heavy  .sea  w'hich  the  .southwester  raised,  and  we  made  up 
our  minds,  from  what  we  stiw,  tiiat  the  Great  Eastern  is  the 
right  ship  to  be  in,  in  a  gale  of  wind.  During  tlie  night 
heavy  showers  of  rain.  This  morning  the  sea  was  compara- 
tively smooth,  and  tiie  sky  .showed  welcome  jtatches  f)f 
bright  blue.  If  all  goes  well,  we  sliall  be  up  to-morrow 
evening  at  the  place  whei-e  last  yenr's  cal>le  parted.  A 
couple  of  days  would  bring  us  to  sliallower  wafer,  and 
then  we  may  fairly  look  out  f<n'  our  'Heart's  Content." 
•Messages  come  from  Eughind,  with  the  news,  regularly 
and  sjjeedily — excellent  practice  for  the  clerics  on  .shore 
;',.id  on  board  ship  —  great  comfort  to  us,  and  the  best 
evidence  to  those  who  will  read  tiiis  journal,  of  the  great 


IT' 


VICTORY  AT  liAST. 


3^0 


fact  tliat.  up  to  tliis  time,   the  caWe  is  doing  its  electi-ic 
work  eflicieiitly. " 

The  interest  of  the  voyage  was  greatly  increased  i)y 
the  news  daily  received  from  Europe.  Thougli  in  the 
niitldle  of  the  Atlantic,  they  were  still  joined  with  the 
Old  World,  and  messages  came  to  the  "  (ireat  Eastern 
Telegra}ih  *'  as  rc.'gularly  as  to  the  Times  in  London ; 
reporting  the  quotations  of  the  Stock  Exchange,  the 
debates  in  Parliament,  and  all  the  news  of  home.  Hut 
what  was  far  more  exciting,  was  the  tidings  ol"  the 
great  events  transpiring  on  the  Continent.  While  tlie 
exjjedition  liad  been  preparing  in  England,  a  war 
had  broken  out  of  tremendous  magnitude.  Austria, 
Prussia,  and  Italy  had  rushed  into  the  ti(,']d.  Armies, 
such  as  had  not  met  since  the  fat;d  d;iy  of  Leipsic, 
stood  in  battle  ai'ray,  and  the  thund(n'  of  war  was 
echoing  and  i-eechoing  among  the  mountains  uf  Pohe- 
mia.  Amid  these  convidsions  the  fleet  set  sail  ;  but  it 
was  still  linked  with  the  nations  which  it  )(^ft  behind, 
and  received  tidings  from  day  to  day.  What  great 
events  were  thus  heralded  to  them  in  mid-ocean  may 
be  seen  bv  a  few  items  gleaned  from  the  numerous 
despatches : 

" Saturday  evenino'.  .Tidy  1  tlh.    -Ociu'ral  C'ialdiiii  is  mov 
iiifj-  upon   Rovift'o  with  a;i   army  of  one  liuudrod   thousand 
men  and  two  Inindird  fiuns.     Thr  .Xusli'ians  have  evacuated 
the  whole  coiaitry  between  the  Mincio  and  Adi^^e,"' 

A  dav  or  two  later: 


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330        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPFI. 

"Cialdini  has  occupied  Padua,  twenty-three  miles  from 
Venice,  on  the  railway  connecting  that  city  with  the  Quad- 
rilateral, and  the  Austriansare  shut  up  in  Venice." 

"  Tuesday,  17th. — Prus.sians  had  successful  engagement  be- 
fore 01  miitz  yesterday;  captured  six  guns.  Furtlier  fighting 
expected  to-day.  Austrians  withdrawing  from  Moldavia 
toward  Vienna." "  Conflict  between  Prussians  and  Fed- 
erals. Prussians  completely  victorious.  Federals  evacuat- 
ing Frankfort,  and  Prussians  marching  there." 

"Thursday,  19th.— Prussians  repeating  victories,  :»nd 
gaining  adliesions  from  small  States.  The  main  army  within 
fifty  miles  of  Vienna — have  cut  the  railway  to  Vienna. 
Austrian  army  between  Prussians  and  Vienna,  under  Arch- 
duke, one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  men.  Money  and 
archives  removed  from  Vienna  to  Comorn." 

"20th. — Frankfort  occu])ied  by  the  Prussians,  ^vho  are 
marching  on  Vienna.  Yesterda}%  Italian  fleet,  consisting  of 
iron-clad  vessels  and  several  steamers,  opened  attack  on 
Island  of  Lissa  on  the  coast  of  Dalmatia — result  not  known." 

The  next  day  it  is  reported  tlius : 

"Severe  naval  engagement  off  Lissa.  Austrians  claim 
the  victory.  Sunk  one  Italian  iron-clad,  run  down  ar other, 
blew  up  a  third." 

"  July  21st. — Prussians  crossed  river ;  march  near  Holitzon, 
Hungary.  Austria  accepted  proposal  of  armistice.  Prussia 
will  abstain  from  hos'.ilities  for  five  days,  during  which  Aus- 
tria will  have  to  notify'  acceptance  of  pi'eliminaries.  A  long 
letter  published  from  the  King  of  Prussia  to  the  Queen,  giv- 
i  ig  account  of  battle  of  Kciniggriitz." 

The  interest  excited  by  sufli  news  may  be  imag- 
ined, coining  while  the  events  were  yet  fresh.     Twice 


VICTORY   AT  LAST. 


331 


a  day  was  the  bulletin  set  up  on  the  (.leek,  and  was  sur- 
rounded  by  an  eager  crowd  reading  what  had  trans- 
pired on  the  Continent  but  a  few  hours  before.  Nor 
was  the  intelligence  confined  to  the  Great  Eastei-n. 
By  an  arrangement  of  signals,  more  complete  than 
ever  was  used  in  a  squadron  before,  the  news  was  tele- 
graphed to  the  convoy.  All  the  ships  had  been  fur- 
nislied  with  experienced  signal-men  by  the  Admiralty. 
The  system  adopted  was  that  known  as  Colomb's 
Flash  Signals,  by  which,  even  in  the  darkest  night, 
messages  could  easily  be  flashed  to  a  distance  of  several 
miles.  Thus  all  the  ships  were  supplied  with  news 
twice  a  day,  and  the  great  military  events  in  Europe 
were  discussed  in  every  cabin  as  eagerl}'  as  in  the 
clubs  of  London.     Again  Deane's  Diary  reports : 

"Sunday,  July  22cl. — Still  success  to  record.  A  brig'ht 
clear  day,  with  a  fresh  and  invifforatinj?  breeze  frotn  the 
nortli-west.  Cable  going-  out  witli  unerring  smoothness, 
at  tlie  rate  of  six  miles  an  liour.  There  has  been  great  im- 
IH'ovement  in  tlie  insulation.  Tliis  remarkable  improvement 
is  attributable  to  the  greatly  decreased  temperature  of,  and 
pressure  on,  the  cable  in  the  sea.  Tliis  is  a  very  satisfactory 
result  to  Mr.  Willoughby  .^mitli.  Signals,  too,  come  every 
liour  more  distinctly.  Tbm  morning  the  Ijrceze  fi-esliened. 
We  are  now  about  thirty  miles  to  the  soutlnvard  of  ilie  place 
where  the  cable  parted  on  the  second  of  August,  ISOr),  baving 
then  paid  out  one  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirteen  ml.. :',. 
Cajjtain  Anderson  read  divine  service  in  the  dining  saloon. 

"Monday. — Bet'.eeu   six   and   seven   P.M.    yesterday,  we 


i 


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332 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


''   i;    ;  I 


i  i 


passed  over  the  deepest  part  of  our  course.  There  was  no  ad- 
ditional strain  on  tlie  dynamometer,  whicli  indicated  from 
ten  to  fourteen  hundred,  the  cable  g'oing  out  with  its  accus- 
tomed regularity.  The  wind  still  fresh  from  the  north-west. 
During  the  night  it  went  round  to  the  southwest,  and  this 
morning  there  is  a  long  roll  from  the  southward. 

"At  forty-six  minutes  past  eleven  A.M.,  Mr.  Cj'rus  Field 
sent  a  message  to  Valentia,  requesting  Mr.  Glass  to  obtain 
the  latest  news  from  Egypt,  India,  and  China,  and  other  dis- 
tant countries,  so  that  on  our  arrival  at  Heart's  Content  we 
shall  be  able  to  transmit  it  to  the  principal  cities  of  the 
United  States.  In  just  eight  minutes  he  had  a  reply  in  these 
words:  'Your  mes.sage  received,  and  is  in  London  by  this.' 
Outside  the  telegraph  room  there  is  a  placard  put  up,  on 
which  is  posted  the  news  shortly  after  its  arrival,  and  groups 
of  the  crew  may  be  seen  reading  it,  just  as  we  see  a  crowd  at 
a  newspaper  office  in  Lonvl^.  Mr.  Dudley,  the  artist,  has 
made  a  very  .spirited  .sketch  of  'Jack"  reading  tht>  morning 
news,  for  he  is  su])])]ied  witli  (he  latest  intelligence  from  the 
seat  of  war  twice  a  day  I'  How  he  will  grumble  wlien  he 
gets  asliore  I  He  is  not  going  to  )jay  a  ])()und  a  word  for  news, 
but  his  newspapers  will  supply  it  to  him,  and  he  does  jiot 
know  or  care  what  it  costs.  But  what,  a  sum  lias  been  spent 
in  Atlantic  telegraplis  I  It  cannot  now  fall  short  of  two  mil- 
lions and  a  half  of  pounds,  or  over  twelve  millions  of  dollars. 
More  millions  will  be  found  if  it  shall  b(>  practically  proved 
tnat  America  can  i)ermanently  talk  to  England,  and  thi-ough 
her  to  the  eastern  hemisphere,  and  England  to  America 
by   this   ocean    wire.     At   a   quarter   to   twelve  to-day  but 


i 


*  Mr.  Dudley  miule  a  number  of  sketches  for  Mr.  Field,  with  several 
large  paintinj^s,  which  have  furuished  the  illustrations  for  this  volume. 


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VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


333 


ii  4^ 


I 


two  hundred  and  fifteen  inilos  of  cable  remained  to  be  paid 
out  of  tlie  fore  tank.  To-morrow  night  we  hope  to  see  it 
empt}' — then,  for  a  small  supply  from  the  main  tank,  and 

then but,  hopeful  though  we  are,  let  us  not  anticipate. 

"  Tuesday. — Breakfast  at  eight.  Lunch  at  one.  Dinner 
at  six.  Tea  at  eight.  Five  hundred  and  two  .souls  wiio  live 
on  board  this  huge  ship  following  their  prescribed  occupa- 
tions. Cable  going  out  merrily.  Electrical  tests  and  signals 
perfect,  and  this  is  the  history  of  what  has  taken  place  from 
noon  yesterday  to  noon  to-day.  May  we  have  three  days 
more  of  such  delightful  monotony  !  It  I'ained  very  hard 
during  yesterday  evening,  and  as  we  approach  the  Banks  of 
Newfoundland  we  get  thick  and  hazy  weathei*." 

The  latter  part  of  the  voyage  did  not  fulfil  in  all 
respects  tlie  promise  of  the  first.  The  bright  skies 
were  gone;  and  instead  perpetual  fog  hung  over  the 
"Water,  while  often  the  clouds  pjured  down  their  floods. 
Thus  the  diary  continues  : 

"Wednesday. — Fog  and  thick  rain — just  the  weather  to 
expect  on  approaching  the  Banks  of  Newfoundland.  The 
convoy  keep  their  position,  and  though  sometimes  the  fog 
hides  the  ships  from  our  view,  yet  we  know  where  they  are 
by  their  signal-whistles — two  from  the  Terrible,  three  from 
the  Med  way,  and  four  from  the  Albany,  which  are  replied 
to  by  the  prolonged  single  shriek  from  our  whistle.  At 
fifty-two  minutes  past  one,  Greenwich  time  (ship's  time, 
forty-five  minutes  past  ten  P.M.,  last  night),  the  fore  tank 
being  nearly  empty,  preparations  were  made  for  passing  the 
bight  of  the  cable  into  the  main  tank.  At  fifteen  minutes 
past  two  all  the  jockey-wheels  of  the  paying-out  muchiueiy 


'' :  i 


If 

'■  i  ■ 


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334 


STORY   OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


";    {;';■ 


woro  up,  and  tlio  l)i'iike.s  released.  Tweiitj'-tlirco  minutes 
past  two  tlie  bight  was  passed  steadily  and  cautiously  l)y  the 
cable  hands  outside  of  the  trough  to  the  main  tank,  and  at 
thirty-fivo  minutes  past  two  the  splice  went  over  tlie  stern 
in  1542.8  fathoms.  By  arrangement  witli  Sir  James  Hope, 
the  admiral  of  the  Nortli- American  station,  who  lias  received 
instructions  from  tlie  Admiralty  to  give  the  present  expedi- 
tion every  assistance  in  his  power,  a  frigate  or  sloop  will  be 
phiced  in  longitude  48°,  2iy,  52",  Avhich  is  just  thirty  miles 
from  the  entrance  of  Trinity  Bay,  and  sixty  from  Heart's 
Content.  She  will  ))robably  hang  cm  by  a  kedge  in  that 
position,  which  shows  the  'fair  way'  rigiit  up  the  bay; 
and  if  it  be  clear,  we  ought  to  see  her  about  daybreak  on 
Friday  morning.  Tlie  fog  was  very  thick  tliis  morning,  but 
occasionally  lifts  ;  as  long  as  the  wind  is  from  south-west 
we  cannot  expect  clear  weather." 


As  the  week  drew  on,  it  was  evident  that  tliey  were 
approaching  the  end  of  their  voyage.  By  Thursday 
they  bad  passed  the  great  deptlis  of  tlie  Athmtic,  and 
were  off  soundings.  Besides  their  daily  observations, 
there  were  many  signs,  well  known  to  mariners,  that 
they  were  near  the  coast.  Tliero  were  the  sea-birds, 
and  tliev  could  almost  snufF  the  smell  of  the  land,  such 
as  once  greeted  the  sharp  senses  of  Columbus,  and 
made  him  sure  that  he  was  floating  to  some  undiscov- 
ered shore.  Captain  Anderson  had  timed  his  departure 
so  that  he  should  approach  the  American  coast  at  the 
full  moon ;  but  for  the  last  two  or  three  nights,  as  the 
round  orb  rose  behind  them,  banks  of  cloud  hung  so 


ii* 


VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


335 


heavily  upon  the  water,  that  tlio  moonhght  only 
gleamed  faintly  through  the  vaporous  air,  and  the 
fleet  seemed  like  the  phantom  siiips  of  tiie  Ancient 
Mariner,  drifting  on  through  fog  and  mist. 

" Tliuivsday. — All  day  yesterday  it  was  as  'thick  as  mus- 
tard." We  liave  had  now  forty-eight  hours  of  fog.  Tliough 
it  lifted  a  little  tiiis  morjiing,  at  live  A.M.,  it  still  looks  like 
more  of  it.  Captain  Anderson  signalled  to  the  Albany,  at 
fifteen  miimtes  jw-st  ten  last  night,  to  start  at  daybi-eak,  and 
proceed  to  discover  the  station  sliip,  and  report  us  at  hand. 
Siiould  she  fail  to  find  her,  then  to  try  and  make  tin*  land 
and  guide  us  up  Trinity  Bay.  Another  signal  was  sent  at 
half-past  twelve  to  the  effect  that  the  Terrible  and  ^ledway 
would  be  sent  ahead  to  meet  the  Albany  and  establish  a  line 
to  lead  us  in  even  with  a  fog.  The  Albany  started  at  half- 
past  three.  At  forty-five  minutes  past  four,  Greouwich 
time,  the  cable  engineer  in  chai'ge  took  one  weight  ott"  each 
brake  of  the  paying-out  Diachinery.  At  forty  minutes  past 
seven  all  weigiits  taken  off,  the  assumed  depth  l)eing  three 
hundred  fathoms.  The  indicated  strain  on  the  dynamome- 
ter gradually  decreasing.  Speed  of  ship  five  knots.  We 
are  going  to  try  and  pick  up  the  cable  of  1865  in  two  thou- 
sand five  hundi-ed  fathouLS  (and  we  mean  to  succeed  too)  ; 
therefore  should  the  cable  we  are  now  paying  out  i)art,  it 
can  be  uiulorstood  how  easy  it  would  be  to  raise  it  from  a 
dei)lh  of  thi-eo  hundred  fathoms.  At  fifty-five  minutes  past 
eight  we  signalled  to  the  Terrible  to  sound,  and  rccM-ived  a 
reply,  one  hundred  and  sixty  fatlioms.  At  lialf-past  eleven 
we  informed  her  that  wlien  at  the  buoy  ofl"  Heart's  Content 
she  should  have  her  i)addle-box  boat  and  two  cutters  ready 
to  be  alongside  immediately,  for  holding  the  bight  of  the 


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330 


STORY  OP  TIIK  ATLANTIC  TELRGIIAPII. 


cable  (luring  tlio  splico  and  layinjif  tho  shorn  end.  The 
Modway  was  told  .it  the  same  time  to  prepare  two  five-inch 
ropes,  and  two  large  mushroom  anchors,  with  iifty  fathoms 
of  chain,  for  anchoring  during  the  splice  in  one  hundred 
and  seventy  fathoms  of  water,  and  we  intimated  to  her  that 
when  inside  of  Trinity  Bay  we  should  signal  for  two  boats 
to  take  hands  on  board  her  foi-  shore  end.  News  of  to-day, 
telegi'am  from  Mr.  Glass  in  reply  to  one  from  Mr.  Canning  : 
I  congratulate  you  all  most  sincerely  on  your  arrival  in 
one  hundred  and  thirty  fathoms.  I  hope  nothing  will  inter- 
fere to  mar  the  hitherto  brilliant  success,  and  that  the  cable 
will  be  landed  to-morrow.'" 


>.^    il 


n 


As  the  voyage  is  about  to  end,  we  give  tlie  distances 
run  from  day  to  day,  which  show  a  remarkable  uni- 
formity of  progress : 

Dietancc  Run.    Cable  Pnid  Out. 

Saturday,  fourteenth 108  115 

Sunday,  fifteenth 128  139 

Monday,  sixteentli 115  137 

Tuesday,  seventeenth, 117  138 

Wednesdaj',  eighteenth, 104  125 

Thur.sday,  nineteenth, 112  129 

Friday,  twentieth,  117  127 

Saturday,  twenty-first 121  136 

Sunday,  twenty-second, 123  133 

Monday,  twenty-third. 121  138 

Tuesday,  twenty-fourth 120  135 

Wednesday,  twenty-fifth,  119  130 

Thursday,  twenty-sixth, 128  134 

Friday,  twenty-seventh, 100  104 


l>    J 


VICTORY   AT   LAST. 


837 


From  this  it  appears  tiiat  tiin  speed  of  the  shij>  was 
exactl}'  according  to  the  running-  time  tlxed  before 
she  left  England.  On  the  hist  voyage  it  was  tiiought 
that  she  had  once  or  twice  run  too  fast,  and  tiius  ex- 
posed the  cable  to  danger.  It  was,  therefore,  decided 
to  go  slowly  but  surely.  Holding  her  back  to  this 
moderate  pace,  her  average  speed,  from  the  time  the 
splice  was  made  till  they  saw  land,  was  a  little  less 
than  five  nautical  miles  an  hour,  while  the  cable  was 
paid  out  at  an  average  of  not  quite  live  and  a  half 
miles.  Thus  the  total  slack  was  about  eleven  per  cent, 
showing  that  the  cable  was  laid  almost  in  a  straight 
line,  allowing  for  the  swells  and  hollows  in  the  bottom 
of  the  sea. 


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"Friday,  July  27th.— Shortly  after  two  P.M.,  yesterday, 
two  sliijjs,  whicli  were  soon  made  out  to  be  steamers,  were 
seen  to  the  westward;  and  the  Terrible,  steaniiiij^  on  ahead, 
in  about  an  hour  signalled  to  us  that  H.M.S.  Nijrer  was  one 
of  them,  accompanied  by  the  xilbany.  The  Niger.  Captain 
Bruce,  sent  a  boat  to  the  Teri'ible  as  soon  as  lie  came  up  with 
lier.  The  Albany  shortly  afterward  took  up  her  position  on 
our  starboard  quarter,  and  signalled  that  she  spoke  tlie  Niger 
at  noon,  bearing  E.  by  N.,  and  that  the  Lily  was  anchored 
at  the  station  in  the  entrance  of  Trinity  Bay,  as  arranged 
with  the  Admiral.  The  Albany  also  reported  that  she  had 
passed  an  iceberg  about  sixty  feet  high.  At  twenty  minutes 
after  four  p.m.,  the  Niger  came  on  our  port  side,  quite  close, 
and  Captain  Bruce,  sending  the  crew  to  the  rigging  and 
manning  the  yards,  gave  us  three  cheers,  which  were  lieart- 
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338        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


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I    Ui 


ily  iMfturned  by  the  Great  Eastern.  She  then  steamed  ahead 
toward  Trinity  Bay.  The  Albany  was  signalled  to  go  on 
immediately  to  Heart's  Content,  clear  tlie  northeast  side  of 
the  harbor  of  shipping,  and  place  a  boat  with  a  red  flag  for 
Captain  Anderson  to  steer  to,  for  anchorage.  Just  before 
dinner  we  saw  on  the  southern  horizon,  distant  about  ten 
miles,  an  iceberg,  probably  the  one  which  the  Albany  met 
with.  It  was  apparently  about  fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  height. 
The  fog  came  on  very  thick  about  eight  p.m.,  and  between 
that  and  ten  we  were  constantly  exchanging  guns  and  burn- 
ing blue  liglits  with  tlie  Terrible,  which,  with  the  Niger, 
went  in  search  of  the  Lily,  station  ship.  The  Terrible  being 
signalled  to  come  up  and  take  her  position,  informed  us 
they  had  made  tlie  Lily  out,  and  that  she  bore  then  about 
E.N.E.  distant  four  miles.  Later  in  the  night  Captain  Com- 
merill  said  that  if  Captain  Anderson  would  stop  the  Great 
Eastern,  he  would  send  the  survej-or  Mr.  Robinson,  R.  N., 
who  came  oul  in  the  Niger,  on  bdard  of  us,  and  about  three 
the  engines  were  slowed,  and  the  Terrible  shortly  afterwards 
came  alongside  with  that  officer.  Catalina  light,  at  tlie 
entrance  of  Trinity  Bay,  had  been  made  out  three  hours 
before  this,  and  the  loom  of  tlie  coast  had  also  been  seen. 
Fog  still  prevailing!  According  to  Mr.  Robinson's  account, 
if  they  got  one  clear  daj'  in  seven  at  the  entrance  of  Trinity 
Bay,  they  considered  themselves  fortunate.  Here  we  are 
now  (six  A.M.),  within  ten  miles  of  Heart's  Content,  and  we 
can  scarcely  see  more  than  a  ship's  length.  The  Niger,  how- 
ever, is  ahead,  and  her  repeated  guns  tell  us  where  we  are 
with  accuracy.  Good  fortune  follows  us,  and  scarcely  has 
eiglit  o'clock  arrived  when  the  massive  curtain  of  fog  raises 
itself  gradually  fi-om  both  shores  of  Trinity  Baj',  disclosing 
to  us  the  entrance  of  Heart's  Content,  the  Albany  making 


1*1 

1h  j] 


I  m 


VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


339 


!    11 


for  the  1' arbor,  tlie  Margaretta  Stevenson,  surveying  vessel, 
steaniiii^'  out  to  meet  us,  the  prearranged  pathway  all 
marked  with  buoys  by  Mr.  J.  H.  Kerr,  R  N.,  and  a  whole 
fleet  of  lishing  boats  fishing  at  the  entrance. 

"We  could  now  plainly  see  that  Heart's  Content,  so  far  as 
its  capabilities  permitted,  was  pi-epared  to  welcome  us.  The 
British  and  American  Hags  floated  from  the  church  and  tele- 
grapli  station  and  other  buildings.  We  had  dressed  ship, 
fired  a  salute,  and  given  three  cheers,  and  Captain  Commer- 
ill  of  H.M.S.  Terrible  was  soon  on  board  to  congratulate  us 
on  our  success.  At  nine  o'clock,  ship's  time,  just  as  we  had 
cut  the  cable  and  made  arrangements  for  the  Med  way  to 
lay  the  shore  end,  a  mes.sage  arrived  giving  us  the  conclud- 
ing words  of  a  leader  in  this  morning's  Times:  '  It  is  a  great 
work,  a  glory  to  our  age  and  nation,  and  the  men  who  have 
achieved  it  deserve  to  be  honored  among  the  benefactors  of 
their  race.' — '  Treaty  of  peace  signed  between  Prussio  and 
Austria!'  It  was  now  time  for  the  chief  engineer,  Mr. 
Canning,  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  for  splicing  on 
board  the  Med  way.  Accompanied  by  Mr.  Gooch,  M.P., 
Mr.  Cliff'ord,  Mr.  Wilioughby  Smith,  and  Messrs.  Temple 
and  Deane,  he  went  on  board,  the  Terrible  and  Niger  having 
sent  their  paddle-box  boats  and  cutters  to  assist.  Shortly 
afterward  the  Great  Eastern  steamed  into  the  harbor  and 
anchored  on  the  north-east  side,  and  was  quickly  sur- 
rounded by  boats  laden  with  visitors.  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  had 
come  on  shore  before  the  Great  Eastern  had  left  the  otllng, 
with  a  view  of  telegrai)hing  to  St.  John's  to  hire  a  vessel  to 
repair  the  cable  unhappily  broken  between  Cape  Ray.  in 
Newfoundland,  and  Cape  North,  in  Breton  Island.  Before  a 
couple  of  hours  the  shore  end  will  Ijc  landed,  and  it  is  im- 
possible to  conceive  a  finer  day  for  elfecting  this  our  final 


' 


;  H 


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340 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


operation.  Even  hei-e,  people  can  scarcely  realize  the  fact 
that  the  Atlantic  Telegraph  Cable  has  been  laid.  To-mor- 
row, however,  Heart's  Content  *  will  awaken  to  the  fact  that 
it  is  a  highly  favored  place  in  the  world's  esteem,  the  west- 
ern landing-place  of  that  marvel  of  electric  communication 
with  the  Eastern  hemisphere,  which  is  now  happily,  and  we 
hope  finally,  established." 

This  simple  record,  so  modestly  termed  the  Diary  of 
the  Expedition,  tells  the  story  of  this  memorable 
voyage  in  a  way  that  needs  no  embellishment.  But  if 
from  the  ship's  deck  we  transfer  ourselves  to  the  shore, 
we  may  get  a  new  impression  of  the  closing  scene. 
We  can  well  believe  the  sensation  of  wonder  and 
almost  of  awe,  on  the  morning  when  the  ships  entered 
that  little  harbor  of  Newfoundland.     In  England  the 


*  The  little  harbor  that  bears  this  gentle  name,  is  a  sheltered  nook 
v'here  ships  may  ride  at  anchor,  safe  from  the  storms  of  the  ocean.  It 
is  but  an  inlet  from  the  great  arm  of  the  sea  known  as  Trinity  Bay, 
which  is  sixty  or  seventy  miles  long,  and  twenty  miles  broad.  On  the 
beach  is  a  snia'l  village  of  some  sixty  houses,  most  of  which  are  the  hum- 
ble dwellings  of  those  hardy  men  who  vex  the  northern  seas  with  their  fish- 
eries. The  place  was  never  heard  of  outside  of  Newfoundland  till  1864, 
when  Mr.  Field,  sailing  up  Trinity  Bay  in  the  surveying  steamer  Marga- 
retia  Stevenson,  Captain  Orlebar,  R.  N.,  in  search  of  a  place  for  the  land- 
ing of  the  ocean  cable,  fixed  upon  this  secluded  spot.  The  old  landing 
of  1858  was  at  the  Bay  of  Bull's  Arm,  at  the  head  of  Trinity  Bay,  twenty 
miles  above.  Heart's  Content  was  cnosen  now  because  its  waters  are 
still  and  deep,  so  that  a  cable  skirting  tlic  north  side  of  the  Banks  of 
Newfoundland  can  be  brought  in  deep  water  almost  till  it  tr)uches  the 
shore.  All  around  the  land  /ises  to  pine-crested  heights  ;  and  here  the 
telegraphic  fleet,  after  its  memorable  voyage,  lay  in  quiet,  under  the 
ehudow  of  the  encircliug  hills. 


!l 


',  a  »i 


I- J 


Mi 


'^ityxmmni"  '--^ 


•  I  twtf^g^^mr^f^mmmm^ 


m^f^i^w^^^^c^F'^m^^^m^m^^g^^ 


r  I 


i^ 


Wl 


VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


841 


progress  of  the  expedition  was  known  from  day  to  day, 
but  on  tliis  side  (^f  the  ocean  all  was  uncertainty. 
Son^e  had  gone  to  Heart's  Content,  hoping  to  witness 
the  arrival  of  the  fleet,  but  not  so  many  as  the  year 
before,  for  the  memory  of  the  last  failure  was  too  fresh, 
and  they  feared  another  disappointment.  But  still  a 
faithful  few  were  there,  who  kept  their  daily  watch. 
The  correspondents  of  the  American  papers  report 
only  a  long  and  anxious  suspense,  till  the  morning 
when  the  first  ship  was  seen  in  the  offing.  As  they 
looked  toward  her,  she  came  nearer — and  see,  there  is 
•another  and  another!  And  now^  the  hull  of  the  Great 
Eastern  loomed  up  all  glorious  in  the  morning  sky. 
They  were  coming !  Instantly  all  was  wild  excitement 
on  shore.  Boats  puc  off  to  row  toward  the  fleet.  The 
Albany  was  the  first  to  lound  the  point  and  enter  the 
bay.  The  Terrible  v.aij  close  behind.  The  Medway 
stopped  an  hour  or  two  to  join  on  the  heavy  shore  end, 
Avhile  the  Great  Eastern,  gliding  calmly  in  as  if  she 
had  done  nothing  remarkable,  dropped  her  anchor  in 
front  of  the  telegraph  house,  having  traih'd  behind  lier 
a  ciiain  of  two  thousand  miles,  to  bind  the  Old  World 
to  the  Xew. 

That  same  afternoon,  as  soon  as  the  shore  end  was 
landed,  Captain  Andei'son  and  the  officers  of  the  fleet 
went  in  a  body  to  the  little  church  in  Heart's  Content, 
to  render  thanks  for  the  success  of  the  expedition.  A 
sermon  was  preached  on  the  text,  "  There  shall  be  no 


ii 


IS.  ll 


\\ 


■ '  '•] 


i'     i; 


i   ; 


■i  ^  ? 


849 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


more  sea,"  and  all  joined  in  the  sublime  prayers  and 
thanksgivings  of  the  Church  of  England.  Tims  the 
voyage  ended  as  it  began.  It  left  the  shores  of  Ireland 
with  prayers  wafted  after  it  as  a  benediction.  Ami 
now,  safely  landed  on  the  shores  of  the  New  World, 
this  gallant  company,  like  Columbus  and  his  compan- 
ions, made  it  their  first  thought  to  render  homage  to 
the  Being  who  had  borne  them  safely  across  the  deep. 
But  though  their  voyage  was  ended,  there  was  still 
a  work  to  be  done.  Having  crossed  the  Atlantic,  the 
first  thing  was  to  open  communication  with  the  cities 
of  the  United  States.  And  now  Mr.  Field  was  ex- 
tremely mortified  to  find  that  there  was  a  large  gap  in 
the  line  this  side  of  the  ocean.  Ilis  first  question  to 
the  Superintendent,  who  came  out  in  a  boat  to  meet 
him,  was  in  regard  to  the  cable  across  the  Gulf  of  St. 
Lawi-ence,  Avhich  had  been  interrupted  the  yeiti"  before ; 
and  it  was  a  bitter  pang  to  hear  that  it  lay  still  broken, 
so  that  a  message  which  came  from  Ireland  in  a 
moment  of  time,  was  delayed  twenty-foui*  hours  in  its 
way  to  New  York.  Of  course  the  public  grew  im- 
])atient,  and  there  were  many  sneers  at  the  want  of 
foresight  which  had  failed  to  provide  against  such  a 
contingency  ;  and,  as  he  was  the  one  chiefly  known  in 
connection  with  the  entor|)rise,  these  reproaches  fell 
upon  him.  He  did  not  tell  the  public,  wluit  Avas  the 
truth,  that  he  had  anticipated  this  very  trouble  long 
ago,  and  entreated  his  associates  to  be  prepared  for  it. 


VICTORY  AT  LAST. 


848 


Months  before  he  left  for  Enghmtl,  he  urged  upon  the 
Couipjiny  in  New  York  the  necessity  of  rebuilding 
their  lines  in  Newfoundland,  which  hud  been  standing 
over  ten  years,  and  of  repairing  the  old  cable,  and 
also  laying  a  new  one  across  the  Gulf  of  St.  Law- 
rence. But  this  would  cost  a  large  sum  of  money, 
and  as  their  faith  and  purses  had  been  sorely  tried  by 
repeated  disasters,  they  were  not  willing  to  spend 
more  in  the  uncertainty  of  the  future.  They  wished 
to  see  the  result  of  this  new  expedition,  before  ad- 
vancing further  capital.  We  do  not  blame  them, 
but  only  mention  the  fact  to  show  that  Mr.  Field 
had  foreseen  this  very  thing,  and  endeavored  to  guard 
against  it. 

But  regrets  were  idle.  What  could  he  do  to  repair 
the  injury  ?  "  Is  there  a  steamer,"  he  asked,  "  to  be 
had  in  these  waters  ? "  "  The  Bloodhound  is  at  St. 
John's."  "  Telegraph  instantly  to  charter  her  to  go 
around  to  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  and  fish  up  the 
old  cable  and  repair  it.  But  that  may  take  several 
weeks.  Is  there  nothing  else  that  can  serve  in  the 
mean  time  to  carry  despatches  across  the  Gulf?" 
"  There  is  a  little  steamer,  called  the  Dauntless." 
"  Well,  telegrapli  for  her  too.  Secure  her  at  all  hazards ; 
only  see  that  the  work  is  done."  All  this  was  tlio  work 
of  a  few  minutes.  The  answers  came  back  quickly,  and 
in  a  day  or  two  came  the  steamers  themselves.  The 
arrangement  was  immediately  carried  out.     The  Daunt- 


\\ 


n 


'iK* 


1:1 


In! 

<J    i, 


1i 

11 


! 


Mi 


:-  -OhT^OI^^MM 


^^^2LEki. 


M 


844   STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

loss  took  her  place  in  tlio  (iulf,  where  she  made  her 
reyuhir  trips  from  Port  au  liascjuo,  in  Newfoundland, 
to  Aspeo  Bay,  in  Cape  Breton,  keeping  up  daily  com- 
munication with  the  States.  The  Bloodhound,  which 
had  a  more  difficult  task,  first  took  on  board  eleven 
miles  of  cable  from  the  Great  Eastern,  to  repair  that 
•which  Avas  broken.  The  expedition  was  put  in  charge 
of  Mr.  A.  M.  Mackay,  the  indefatigable  Superintendent 
of  the  Company  in  Newfoundland,  who  had  had  the 
care  of  their  lines  for  ten  years,  lie  sailed  for  Aspee 
Bay,  and  made  short  work  of  the  business,  dragging 
the  Gulf  and  raising  the  cable,  which  ho  found  had 
been  broken  by  an  anchor,  in  water  seventy  fathoms 
deep,  a  few  miles  from  shore.  This  was  spliced  out 
with  a  portion  of  the  new  cable,  and  the  whole  was 
as  perfect  as  ever,  giving  a  fi-esh  proof  that  cables  well 
made  are  likely  to  be  permanent,  if  not  indestructible. 

Meanwhile,  owing  to  this  interruption  of  the  cable 
across  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  the  news  of  the 
success  of  the  expedition,  which  reached  Newfound- 
land on  Friday,  the  twenty -seventh,  did  not  reach  New 
York  till  the  twenty-ninth.  It  was  early  Sunday 
morning,  before  the  Sabbath  bells  had  rung  their  call 
to  prayer,  that  the  tidings  came.  The  first  announce- 
ment was  brief :  "  Heart's  Content,  July  27. — We 
arrived  here  at  nine  o'clock  this  morning.  All  well. 
Thank  God,  the  cable  is  laid,  and  is  in  perfect  work- 
ing order.  Cykus  W.  Field." 


SSBB 


VICTORY   AT  LAST. 


345 


Soon  followed  tlio  dosputcli  to  tho  Associated  Press, 
giving  the  <letails  of  the  voyage,  and  ending  with  a 
just  tribute  to  the  skill  and  devotion  of  all  who  had 
contributed  to  its  success.  Said  Mr.  Fiehl :  "  I  cannot 
find  words  suitable  to  convey  ni}'  admiration  for  the 
men  who  have  so  ably  conducted  tho  nautical,  en- 
gineering, and  electrical  departments  of  this  enterprise, 
amidst  dilHculties  which  must  bo  seen  to  bo  appre- 
ciat<Ml.  In  fact,  all  on  board  of  tho  telegraph  fleet, 
and  all  connected  with  tho  enteri)rise,  have  done  their 
best  to  have  the  cable  made  and  laid  in  a  perfect  con- 
dition ;  and  He  who  I'ules  the  winds  and  tlie  waves 
has  crowned  theii*  united  efforts  with  perfect  success." 

Other  despatches  followed  in  <]uick  succession,  giv- 
ing the  latest  events  of  the  war  in  Europe,  which 
startled  the  ])ublic  just  reailing  news  a  fortnight  old. 
All  this  confirmed  the  great  trium[)li,  ami  filled  every 
heart  with  wonder  and  gratitude  on  the  Suiuhiy  morn- 
ing, as  they  went  again  to  the  little  church  and  ren- 
dered thanks  to  Ilim  who  is  Lord  of  the  earth  and  sea. 

While  the  Great  Eastern  was  Ivinc-  in  the  hai'bor  of 
Heart's  Content,  she  was  overrun  with  visitors.  Tiie 
news  of  her  arrival  had  spread  over  the  island,  and 
from  far  and  near  tiie  people  flocked  to  see  her.  Over 
the  hills  they  came  on  foot  and  on  horseback,  and  in 
wagons  and  carts  of  every  description  ;  and  from  along 
the  shore  in  boats  and  lishing-smacks.  and  sloops  and 
schooners.     They  came   from  the  most  remote  parts 


^ 


H 

I- 1 


; 


I  ; 


1 


' 


34G        STOHV  OP  TJIK  ATLANTIC  TEIiEOUAPn. 

of  the  island — a  distance  of  three  hundred  miles — and 
oven  from  the  province  of  New  Brunswick.  Several 
parties  made  the  excursion  in  steamei-s  from  St.  Jolm's. 
The  wondering  country  folk  climbed  up  the  sides  of 
the  ship,  and  wandered  for  houra  through  its  spacious 
rooms  and  long  passages.  All  were  welcomed  with 
hearty  sailor  courtesy. 

As  soon  as  communication  was  o|iened  with  New 
York,  and  other  cities,  congratulations  poured  in  from 
every  quarter.  Friendly  messages  were  exchanged — 
as  eight  years  before — between  the  sovereign  of  Eng- 
land and  the  head  of  the  Great  Republic.  The  Pres- 
ident also,  and  Mr.  Seward,  Secretary  of  State,  sent 
their  congratulations  to  ^Ir.  Field — greetings  that  were 
repeated  from  the  most  distant  States.  Among  others 
was  a  message  from  San  Francisco,  which  was  put  into 
his  hand  almost  at  the  same  moment  with  one  from 
M.  de  Lesseps,  dated  at  Alexandria  in  Egypt !  What 
a  meeting  and  mingling  of  voices  was  this,  when  a 
winged  salutation  flying  over  the  tops  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  reached  the  same  ear  with  a  message  which 
had  been  whispered  along  the  Mediterranean  and 
under  the  Atlantic:  when  the  farthest  East  touched 
the  farthest  "West — the  most  ancient  of  kingdoms  an- 
swering to  the  new-born  empire  of  the  Pacific. 


STHBIVia'i 


i! 


CHAPTER   XVTI. 

RECOVERY    OF  THE    LOST   CABLE. 

TnoucjH  the  Great  Eastern  was  still  lying  in  the 
little  harbor  of  Heart's  Content,  casting  her  mighty 
shadow  on  its  tranquil  waters,  she  was  not  "  content " 
with  her  amazing  victory,  but  sighed  for  another 
greater  still.  Though  she  had  done  enough  to  bo 
laid  up  for  a  year,  still  she  had  one  more  test  of  her 
prowess — to  recover  the  cable  of  1S05,  which  had  been 
lost  in  the  middle  of  the  Atlantic.  So  eager  were  all 
for  this  second  trial  of  their  strength,  that  in  less  than 
five  days  two  of  the  ships — the  Albany  and  the  Terri- 
ble— the  vanguard  of  the  telegraphic  fleet,  were  on 
their  way  back  to  mid-ocean.  Tiiough  it  was  only 
Friday,  the  27th  of  July,  that  they  reached  land,  tiiey 
left  early  Wednesday  morning,  the  first  day  of  August. 
The  Great  Eastern  was  detained  a  week  longer.  She 
had  to  lay  in  immense  su])plies  of  coal.  Anticipating 
this  want,  six  ships  luid  been  despatched  from  Cardiff, 
in  Wales,  weeks  before,  to  await  the  arrival  of  the  fleet. 
One  of  these  foundered  at  sea ;  the  others  arrived  out 
safely,  and  hardlv  had  the  Great  Eastern  cast  anchor 
before  they  were  alongside,  ready  to  fill  her  bunkei-s. 


!■ 


■  !  'J 


i 


1 

: 

+ 

» 

1 

348         STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

So  ample  was  the  provision,  that,  when  she  went  to  sea 
a  few  days  after,  she  had  nearly  eight  thousand  tons  of 
coul  on  board. 

At  the  same  time  she  liad  to  receive  some  six 
liundred  miles  of  the  cable  of  lSr»o,  which  had  been 
shipjied  from  England  in  the  Medway.  The  latter 
was  now  brought  alongside,  and  the  whole  was  trans- 
ferred into  the  main  tank  of  the  Great  Eastern,  from 
Avhich  it  was  to  bo  paid  out  in  case  the  lost  end  were 
recovered. 

At  length  all  these  prepai-ations  wei'e  completed,  and 
on  Thurs(hiy,  the  9th  of  August,  the  Great  Eastern  and 
the  !Med\vay  put  to  sea.  The  Governor  of  Xewfound- 
land,  who  had  come  around  fi-om  St.  John's  and  been 
received  with  the  honors  duo  his  rank,  accompanied 
them  in  the  Lily  down  tlio  l)road  expanse  of  Trinity 
Bay,  and  then  l)oi'e  away  for  St.  John's  while  the 
Great  Eastern  and  ^[edwjiy  k('[)t  on  their  course  to 
join  their  companions  in  tin;  •mi<l(lle  of  tlie  Atlantic. 
They  had  a  little  over  six  huiKhvd  miles  to  run  to  the 
''fishing  ground,"'  and  made  it  in  tlirijo  days.  On 
Sunday  noon  tliey  ciiint;  in  siglit  of  tlio  appcjinted  ren- 
dezvous, and  soon  with  glasses  madt;  out  the  Albany 
and  the  Terrii)le.  which  had  arrivt'd  a  week  before 
and  placed  buoys  to  mai'k  the  line  of  the  cable, 
and  then,  like  giant  sea-birds  with  folded  wings,  sat 
watching  their  prey.  The  sea  was  running  high,  so 
that  boats  could  not  come  off,  but  the  xVlbanv  siiifnalled 


1!  m 


f 


RECOVERY  OF  THE  LOST  CABLE. 


349 


that  she  had  not  toiled  for  nothing ;  that  she  had  once 
hooked  the  cable,  but  lost  it  in  rough  weather.  The 
history  of  this  first  attempt,  though  brief,  was  cheering. 

When  the  Albany  left  Heart's  Content,  Captain 
Moriarty  went  in  her.  He  had  been  in  the  Great  Eastern 
the  year  before,  and  saw  where  the  cable  went  down, 
and  had  had  his  eye  on  the  spot  ever  since.  He  claimed, 
with  Captain  Anderson,  that  ho  could  go  straight  to  it 
and  place  the  ship  within  half  a  mile  of  where  it  disap- 
peared. At  this  old  sailors  shook  their  heads,  and  said, 
''  They'd  like  to  see  him  do  it;"  '*  No  man  could  come 
within  two  or  three  miles  of  an\''  given  place  in  the 
ocean."  Yet  the  result  proved  the  exactness  of  his 
observations.  With  unerring  eye  he  went  straight  to 
the  spot,  and  set  his  buoys  as  exactly  as  a  fisherman 
sets  his  nets. 

In  the  Albany,  also,  had  gone  Mr.  Temple,  of  Mr. 
Canning's  staff.  The  ship  had  been  fitted  up  with  a 
complete  set  of  buoys  and  apparatus  for  grappling; 
and  he  was  full  of  ambition  to  recover  the  cable  before 
the  Great  Eastern  siiould  come  up.  In  this  he  had 
nearly  proved  successful.  They  had  caught  it  once, 
and  raised  it  a  few  hundred  fathoms  from  the 
bottom,  and  buoyed  it,  but  rough  Aveather  came  on 
and  tore  away  the  buoy,  so  that  the  cable  went  down 
again,  carrying  two  miles  of  rope. 

This  Avas  a  disappointment,  but  still,  as  their  first 
attempt  was  only  a  "'  feeler,"  the  result  was  encour- 


'I 


V  li 


tn 


360    STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


I  ,';  I     , 


aging.  It  showed  that  they  had  found  the  right  place  ; 
that  the  cable  was  there  ;  that  it  had  not  run  away  nor 
been  floated  off  by  those  under-currents  that  exist  in 
the  imagination  of  some  wise  men  of  the  sea ;  nor  that 
it  was  so  imbedded  in  the  ooze  of  the  deep  as  to  be 
beyond  reach  or  recovery.  All  this  was  cheering,  but 
as  it  promised  to  be  a  more  difficult  job  than  they  had 
supposed,  they  were  glad  when  the  Great  Eastern 
hove  in  sight  that  Sunday  noon. 

The  next  morning  Captain  Moriarty  and  Mr.  Tem- 
ple came  on  board,  and  after  reporting  their  experi- 
ence, the  chief  officers  of  the  Expedition  held  a  council 
of  war  before  opening  the  campaign.  The  fleet  was 
all  together,  the  weather  was  favorable,  and  it  was 
determined  at  once  to  proceed  to  business. 

As  the  attempt  is  now  to  be  renewed  on  a  grand 
scale,  the  reader  may  wish  some  further  details  of  the 
means  employed  to  insure  success.  As  nothing  in  this 
wliole  enterprise  has  excited  such  astonishment,  noth- 
ing merits  a  more  careful  history.  When  it  was  first 
proposed  to  drag  the  bottom  of  the  Atlantic  for  a  cable 
lost  in  waters  two  and  a  half  miles  deep,  the  project 
was  so  daring  that  it  seemed  to  be  almost  a  war  of 
the  Titans  upon  the  gods.  Yet  never  Avas  anything 
undertaken  less  in  the  spirit  of  reckless  desperation. 
The  cable  was  recovered,  as  a  city  is  taken  by  siege — 
by  slow  approaches,  and  the  sure  and  inevitable  result 
of  mathematical  calculation.     Every  point  was  studied 


fW" 


f 


r  1  'I « 


RECOVERY  OF  THE  LOST  CABLE. 


351 


beforehand — the  position  of  tlie  broken  end,  the  depth 
of  the  ocean,  the  length  of  rope  needed  to  reach  the 
bottom,  and  the  strength  required  to  hft  the  enormous 
weight.  To  find  the  place  was  a  simple  question  of 
nautical  astronomy — a  calculation  of  latitude  and  lon- 
gitude. It  seemed  providential  that,  when  the  cable 
broke  on  the  second  of  August,  1865,  it  was  a  few 
minutes  after  noon;  the  sun  was  shining  brightly,  and 
they  had  just  taken  a  perfect  observation.  This  made 
it  much  easier  to  go  back  to  the  place  again.  The 
waters  were  very  deep,  but  that  they  could  touch 
bottom,  and  even  grapple  the  cable,  was  proved  by 
the  experiments  of  the  year  before.  But  could  any 
power  be  applied  which  should  lift  it  without  break- 
ing, and  bring  it  safely  on  board  ?  Tliis  was  a  simple 
question  of  mechanics.  Prof.  Tliomson  had  made  a 
calculation  that  in  raising  the  cable  from  a  depth  of 
two  and  a  half  miles,  there  would  be  about  ten  miles 
of  its  length  suspended  in  the  water.  Of  course,  it 
was  a  very  nice  matter  to  graduate  the  strain  so  as  not 
to  break  the  cable.  For  this  it  had  been  suggested 
that  two  or  three  ships  should  grapple  it  at  once,  and 
lifting  it  together,  ease  the  strain  on  any  one  point — 
a  method  of  meeting  the  danger  that  was  finally 
adopted  with  success. 

With  sucii  ])reparations,  let  us  see  how  all  this  sci- 
ence and  seamanship  and  engineering  are  applied. 
The  ships  are  now  all  together  in  the  middle  of  the 


1 


'  7 


fU 


352        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Atlantic.  The  first  point  is  achieved.  They  have 
found  the  place  where  the  broken  cable  lies — they 
have  laid  their  hands  on  the  bottom  of  the  ocean  and 
"felt  of  it,"  and  know  that  it  is  there.  The  next 
thing  is  to  draw  a  line  over  it,  to  mark  its  course,  for 
in  fogs  and  dark  nights  it  cannot  be  traced  by  obser- 
vations. The  watery  line  is  therefore  marked  by  a 
series  of  buoys  a  few  miles  apart,  which  are  held  in 
position  by  heavy  mushroom-anchors,  let  down  to  the 
bottom  by  a  huge  buoy-rope,  which  is  fastened  at  the 
top  by  a  heavy  chain.  Each  buoy  is  numbered,  and 
has  on  the  top  a  long  staif  with  a  flag,  and  a  black 
ball  over  it,  which  can  be  seen  at  a  distance.  Thus 
the  ships,  ranging  around  in  a  circuit  of  many  miles, 
can  keep  in  sight  this  chain  of  sentinels.  The  buoy 
Avhich  marks  the  spot  where  they  wish  to  grapple  has 
also  a  lantern  placed  upon  it  at  night,  which  gleams 
afar  upon  the  ocean.  Having  thus  fixed  their  bear- 
ings, the  Great  Eastern  stands  off,  north  or  south 
according  to  the  Avind  or  current,  three  or  four  miles 
from  where  the  cable  lies,  and  then,  casting  over  the 
grapnel,  drifts  slowly  down  upon  the  line,  as  ships 
going  into  action  reef  their  sails,  and  drift  under  the 
enemy's  guns. 

The  "fishing-tackle"  is  on  a  gigantic  scale.  The 
"  hooks,"  or  grapnels,  are  luige  weapons  armed  Avith 
teeth,  like  Titanic  harpoons  to  be  plunged  into  this 
submarine  monster.    The  "  fishing-line  "  is  a  rope  six 


RECOVERY  OF  THE  LOST  CABLE. 


863 


and  a  half  inches  round,  and  made  of  twisted  hemp 
and  iron,  consisting  of  forty-nine  galvanized  wires, 
each  bound  with  manilla,  the  whole  capable  of  bearing 
a  strain  of  thirty  tons.  Of  this  heavy  rope  there  are 
twenty  miles  on  board  the  ships,  the  Albany  carrying 
five,  and  the  Great  Eastern  and  the  Med  way  seven 
and  a  half  miles  each.  Of  course  it  is  not  the  easiest 
thing  in  the  world  to  handle  such  a  rope.  But  it  is 
paid  out  by  machinery,  passing  over  a  drum  ;  and  the 
engine  works  so  smoothly,  that  it  runs  out  as  easily  as 
ever  a  fisherman's  line  was  reeled  off  into  tiie  sea.  As 
it  goes  out  freel}',  the  strain  increases  every  moment. 
The  rope  is  so  ponderous,  that  the  weight  mounts  up 
very  fast,  so  that  by  the  time  it  is  two  thousand  fath- 
oms down,  the  strain  is  equal  to  six  or  seven  tons. 
The  tension  of  course  is  very  great,  and  not  unattended 
with  danger.  What  if  the  rope  should  break  ?  If  it 
should  snap  on  board,  it  would  go  into  the  sea  like  a 
cannon-shot.  Such  was  the  tension  on  the  long  line, 
that  once  when  the  splice  between  the  grapnel-rope 
and  the  buoy-rope  '•  di'ew,"  the  end  passed  along  the 
wheels  with  terrific  velocity,  and  flying  in  the  air  over 
the  bow,  plunged  into  the  sea.  But  the  rope  is  well 
made,  and  holds  firmly  an  enormous  weight.  It  takes 
about  two  hours  for  tlie  grapnel  to  reach  the  bottom, 
but  they  can  tell  when  it  strikes.  Tiie  strain  eases  up, 
and  then,  as  the  ship  drifts,  it  is  easy  to  see  that  it  is 
not  dragging  through  the  water,  but  over  the  ground. 
23 


I  l! 


I  '•'! 


Ml 
i  i 

;  i 

•v5 


354        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


:lf.  ;■ 


"  I  often  went  to  the  bow,"  says  Mr.  Field,  "  and  sat 
on  the  rope,  and  could  tell  by  the  quiver  that  the  grap- 
nel was  dragging  on  the  bottom  two  miles  under  us." 

And  thus,  with  its  fishing  line  set,  the  great  ship 
moves  slowly  down  over  where  the  cable  lies.  As  the 
grapnel  drags  on  the  bottom,  one  of  the  engineer's  staff 
stands  at  the  dynamometer  to  watch  for  the  moment 
of  increasing  strain.  A  few  hours  pass,  and  the  index 
rises  to  eight,  ten,  or  twelve  tons,  sure  token  that  there 
is  something  at  the  end  of  the  line — it  may  be  the  lost 
cable,  or  a  sunken  mast  or  spar,  the  fragment  of  a 
wreck  that  went  down  in  a  storm  that  swept  the 
Atlantic  a  hundred  years  ago.  And  now  the  engine 
is  set  in  motion  to  haul  in.  As  the  rope  comes  up,  it 
passes  over  a  five-foot  drum,  every  revolutic  i  bringing 
up  three  fathoms.  Thus  it  takes  some  hours  to  haul  in 
over  two  miles'  length,  perhaps  at  last  to  find  nothing 
at  the  end ! 

Success  in  hooking  the  cable  depends  on  the  accu- 
racy of  their  observations.  These  were  sometimes 
verified  in  a  remarkable  manner.  When  the  nights 
were  very  dark  and  thick  with  fog,  so  that  they  could 
not  see  the  stars  above  nor  their  lights  on  the  ocean, 
they  had  to  go  almost  by  the  sense  of  feeling.  Yet  so 
exactly  had  they  taken  their  bearings,  that  they  could 
almost  grope  over  the  ground  with  their  hands.  A 
singular  proof  of  this  was  given  one  night,  when,  just 
as  the  line  began  to  quiver,  showing  that  the  cable  had 


w 


RECOVERY   OP  THE  LOST  CABLE. 


355 


been  hooked,  one  of  the  buoys — which  had  not  been 
seen  in  tlie  darkness — thumped  against  the  side  of  the 
ship.  So  exactly  had  it  been  placed  over  the  pre- 
scribed line,  that  the  ship  struck  the  buoy  just  as  the 
grapnel  struck  the  cable !  The  accident,  which  star- 
tled them  jit  first,  when  it  occurred  in  the  gloom  of 
night,  furnished  the  strongest  proof  of  the  accuracy 
of  their  observations ;  and  the  officers  were  very  proud 
of  it,  as  they  well  might  be,  as  a  victory  in  nautical 
astronomy ! 

These  different  experiments  revealed  some  secrets  of 
the  ocean.  Its  bottom  proved  to  be  generally  ooze,  a 
soft  slime.  "When  the  rope  went  down,  one  or  two 
hundred  fathoms  at  the  end  would  trail  on  the  sea 
floor ;  and  when  it  came  up,  this  was  found  coated 
with  mud,  "  very  fine  and  soft  like  putty,  and  full  of 
minute  shells."  But  it  was  not  all  ooze  at  the  bottom 
of  the  sea,  even  on  this  telegraphic  plateau.  There 
were  hidden  rocks — perhaps  not  cliffs  and  ledges,  but 
at  least  scattered  boulders,  lying  on  that  mighty  plain. 
Sometimes  the  strain  on  the  dynamometer  would  sud- 
denly go  up  three  or  four  tons,  and  then  back  again,  as 
if  the  grapnel  had  been  caught  and  broken  away. 
Once  it  came  up  with  two  of  its  hooks  bent,  as  if  it  had 
come  in  contact  with  a  huge  rock.  At  one  time  it 
brought  up  in  the  mud  a  small  stone  half  the  size  of  an 
almond ;  and  at  another  a  fragment  as  large  as  a 
brick.     This  was  a  piece  of  granite. 


ii     '    !i 


i      1 


■ii: 


:!l 


W: 


■J 

If 


l(i 


! 


fi 


350        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

Friday,  August  17th,  was  a  inemorublo  da}'  in  the 
expedition,  for  the  cable  was  not  only  caught,  but 
brought  to  the  surface,  where  it  was  in  full  sight  of  the 
whole  ship,  and  yet  finally  escaped.  The  day  before 
the  line  had  been  cast  over,  at  about  two  o'clock,  and 
struck  th<!  ground  a  little  before  five.  After  dragging 
a  couple  of  hours,  the  increasing  strain  showed  that 
they  had  grappled  the  prize,  and  they  began  to  haul 
in,  but  soon  ceased,  and  held  on  till  morning.  Then 
the  engine  was  set  in  motion  again,  and  slowly  but 
steadily  the  ponderous  rope  came  up  from  the  deep. 
By  half-past  ten  o'clock,  Friday  morning,  twenty-three 
hundred  fathoms  had  come  on  board,  and  but  fifteen 
or  tAventy  Kjraained.  Then  was  the  critical  moment, 
and  they  paused  before  giving  a  last  pull.  Such  was 
the  eagerness  of  all,  that  the  diver  of  the  ship,  Clark, 
begged  to  be  allowed  to  plunge  down  twenty  fathoms, 
to  lay  his  hand  on  the  prize,  and  be  sure  that  it  was 
there.  But  patience  yet  a  few  minutes  !  A  few  more 
strokes  of  the  engine,  and  the  sea-serpent  shows  him- 
self— a  long  black  snake  with  a  white  belly.  "  On  the 
appearance  of  the  cable,"  says  Deane,  in  his  Diar}'  of 
the  Expedition,  "  we  were  all  struck  with  the  fact  that 
one  half  of  it  was  covered  with  ooze,  staining  it  a 
muddy  white,  while  the  other  half  was  in  just  the  state 
in  which  it  left  the  tank,  with  its  tarred  surface  and 
strands  unchanged,  which  showed  that  it  lay  in  the 
sand   only  half  embedded.     The  strain  on  the  cable 


h 


\i 


r 


r?p 


Rf:COVERY  OP  THE  LOST  CABLE. 


dSY 


giiVG  it  ca  twist,  and  it  looked  as  if  it  had  boon  painted 
spirally  black  and  white.  This  disposes  of  the  oft- 
repeated  assertion,  that  we  should  not  be  able  to  pull 
it  up  from  the  bottom,  because  it  would  be  embedded 
in  the  ooze." 

The  appearance  of  the  cable  woke  a  tremendous 
hurrah  from  all  on  board.  They  cheered  as  English 
sailors  are  apt  to  cheer  when  the  flag  of  an  enemy  is 
struck  in  battle.  But  their  exultation  came  too  soon. 
The  strain  on  the  cable  was  already  mounting  up  to  a 
dangerous  point.  Capt.  Anderson  and  Mr.  Canning 
Avere  standing  on  the  bow,  and  saw  that  the  strands 
were  going.  They  hastened  men  to  its  relief,  but  it 
was  too  late.  Before  they  could  put  stoppers  on  it  to 
hold  it,  it  broke  close  to  the  grapnel,  and  sunk  to  the 
bottom.  It  had  been  in  sight  but  just  five  minutes, 
and  was  gone.  Instantly  the  feeling  of  exultation  was 
turned  to  one  of  disappointment,  and  almost  of  rage, 
at  the  treacherous  monster,  that  lifted  up  its  snaky 
head  from  the  sea,  as  if  to  mock  its  captors,  and  in- 
stantly dived  to  the  silence  and  darkness  below. 

It  was  a  cruel  disappointment.  Yet  when  they  came 
to  think  soberly,  there  was  no  cause  for  despair,  but 
rather  for  new  confidence  and  ho[)e.  They  liad  proved 
what  they  could  do.  But  this  detained  them  in  the 
middle  of  the  Atlantic  for  two  weeks  more. 

It  were  idle  to  relate  all  the  attempts  of  those  two 
weeks.     Every  day  brought  its  excitement.     Whenever 


. 


■■y 


1  i'  3'  I; 


^i 


l^w^ 


11 

1 
i 

ll  ' 

tl, 

1 

1 

•.  'r. 

368 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


the  yrajjiiel  cuught,  there  was  a  suspense  of  many  hours 
till  it  was  brought  on  boanl.  Several  times  they 
seemed  on  the  point  of  success.  Two  days  after  that 
fatal  Friday,  on  Sunday,  August  19th,  they  caught  the 
cable  again,  and  brought  it  up  within  a  thousand 
fathoms  of  the  ship,  and  buoyed  it.  But  Monday  and 
Tuesday  were  too  rough  for  work,  and  all  their  labor 
was  in  vain.  Thus  it  was  a  constant  battle  with  the 
elements.  Sometimes  the  wind  blew  fiercely  and  drove 
them  off  their  course.  Sometimes  the  buoys  broke 
adrift  and  had  to  be  pursued  and  taken.  Once  or  twice 
the  boatswain's  mate — a  brave  fellow,  03'  the  name  of 
Thornton — was  lowered  in  ropes  over  the  bow  of  the 
ship  and  let  down  astride  of  a  buoy ;  and  though  it 
spun  round  with  him  like  a  top,  and  his  life  was  In 
dangei',  ho  held  on  and  fastened  a  chain  to  it,  by  which 
it  Avas  swung  on  board. 

The  continued  bad  weather  Avas  the  chief  obstacle 
to  success.  Engineers  had  often  grappled  for  cables  in 
the  North  Sea  and  the  Mediterranean ;  but  tliere  they 
could  look  for  at  least  a  few  days  when  tlie  sea  Avould 
be  at  rest ;  but  in  the  Atlantic  it  was  impossible  to 
calculate  on  good  weather  for  twenty-four  hours.  For 
nearly  four  weeks  that  they  were  at  sea,  they  had 
hardly  four  days  of  clear  sunshine,  without  wind. 
Often  the  ocean  Avas  covered  with  a  driving  mist,  and 
the  ships,  groping  about  like  blind  giants,  kept  blowing 
their  shrill  fog-trumpets,  or  firing  guns,  as  signals  to 


Tf 


RECOVKRY  OF  THE  LOST  CAHLK. 


3r.9 


their  companions  that  they  were  still  there.  Occa- 
sionally the  sun  shone  out  from  the  clouds,  and  gave 
them  hope  of  better  success.  ( )iice  or  twice  we  find  in 
the  private  journal  kept  by  Mr.  Field,  that  it  was  "  too 
calm;"  there  was  not  wind  enough  to  drift  the  ship 
over  the  cable,  so  that  the  rope  hung  up  and  <lown 
from  the  bow,  "without  dragging.  One  8un(hiy  night 
he  remembered,  when  the  deep  was  hushed  to  a  Sab- 
bath stillness,  the  moon  was  shining  brightly,  and  the 
ships  floating  over  a  "  sea  of  glass,"  that  suggested 
thoughts  of  a  better  world  than  this.  Such  times  gave 
them  fresh  hopes,  that  might  be  disappointed  on  the 
morrow. 

Once,  however,  the  Albany,  which  had  been  off  a 
few  miles  fishing  on  its  own  hook,  suddenly  appeared 
in  the  night,  reporting  a  victory.  All  on  board  the 
Great  Eastern  were  startled  by  the  firing  of  guns.  It 
was  a  little  after  midnight,  and  !Mr.  Field  had  gone 
below,  worn  out  with  the  long  suspense  and  anxiety, 
Avhen  Captain  Anderson  came  rushing  to  his  state- 
room with  tidings  that  the  cable  was  recovered !  Both 
hurried  on  deck,  and  sure  enough  there  was  the  Albany 
bearing  down  upon  them,  with  her  crew  cheering  in 
the  wildest  manner.  The  gallant  Temple  had  con- 
quered at  last.  But  the  next  morning  brought  a  fresh 
disappointment.  They  had  indeed  got  hold  of  the 
cable,  and  brought  its  end  on  board,  and  afterward 
buoyed  it,  but  when  the  Great  Eastern  went  for  it,  it 


■Is 


360         STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TKLKORAPII. 

proved  to  be  only  a  fra<^mont  some  two  milos  long, 
wiiich  had  been  broken  olT  in  one  of  tiie  previous  graj> 
plings.  However,  they  hauled  it  in,  and  kept  it  with 
pride,  as  their  first  trophy  from  the  sea. 

And  so  the  days  and  weeks  won?  on  ;  it  was  near 
the  end  of  August,  and  still  the  prize  was  not  taken. 
The  courage  of  the  men  did  not  fail,  but  they  were 
becoming  worn  out.  The  tension  on  tlieir  nerves  of 
this  long  suspense  was  terrible.  On  Tuesday,  August 
28th,  Mr.  Temple  was  brought  on  board  from  the 
Albany,  very  ill.  Ho  was  worn  out  with  constant 
watching.  Their  resources,  too,  must  in  time  be  ex- 
hausted. On  the  evening  of  the  20th,  Captain  Com- 
merill,  of  the  Terrible,  came  on  board,  and  reported 
the  condition  of  his  ship,  lie  was  one  of  the  very 
best  officers  in  the  fleet,  full  of  zeal,  courage,  and 
activity  (having  a  good  right  hand  in  his  first  offi- 
cer, Mr.  Curtis),  and  always  kept  up  a  brave  heart, 
even  in  the  darkest  days.*    But  his  supplies  were  nearly 


IMS.'.!! 


n 


*  Cuptain  Anderson,  in  a  letter  publif>licd  after  the  return  to  Eng- 
land, says  :  "  Every  oflicer  and  man  of  the  expedition  will  have  pleasant 
recollection  of  the  cheerful  zeal  of  Captain  Commerilj,  V.C.,  and  the 
officers  of  Her  Majesty's  ship  Terrible.  Captain  Commerill  frequently 
visited  us  in  his  boats,  both  in  high  seas  and  in  calms,  and  his  cheery 
way  of  saying,  '  You'll  do  it  yet,'  'What  can  I  do  ?  '  and  '  I'll  do  it,'  was 
truly  characteristic  of  him.  The  officers  of  the  Terrible  would  do  any 
thing  for  their  captain,  and  entered  heartily  into  the  object  of  the 
voyage." 

Such  a  tribute  from  one  brave  commander  to  another,  is  most  honor- 
able to  both.    In  the  same  letter  he  recognizes,  also,  the  services  ren- 


iii! 


I  • 

1    !■ 

I    I. 


RECOVKUY  OF  THE   LOST  ("AIJLE. 


3(Jl 


oxliiiustcd.  Ik'  liiul  1)0(m:  out  four  wci.'k.s,  Jiiul  his  coal 
was  almost  gone,  and  his  men  were  on  lialf  rations.  So 
ho  must  loavo  the  fishing  ground  for  fresh  supplies.  It 
was  a  ]iainftd  necessity,  ilo  iiKmrnod  his  fate,  lik(5  a 
brave  olHcer  who  is  ordei'ed  away  in  the  midst  of  a 
battle?.  I>ut  he  submitted  only  with  a  determination 
to  take  in  ammunition,  and  to  come  back  in  a  few  davs 
to  renew  the  strugji^h!.  .Vccordiny-lv  the  Terrible  left 
the  same  evening  for  8t.  John's. 

At  the  same  time  it  was  decided  that  the  throe  other 
ships  should  leave  thoir  present  cruising  ground,  and 
try  a  new  spot.  As  an  old  fisherman,  who  has  cast  his 
line  in  one  place  so  ofttm  as  to  scare  the  fish  away, 
sometimes  has  better  luck  in  other  waters,  so  they  pro- 

dered  by  the  captains  of  the  other  ships  :  "  I  shall  do  but  scant  Justice 
to  CoinniaiidLM'if  Prowse  and  Batt,  R.N.,  and  Captains  Eddin^tou  ami 
Harris,  Mercantile  Marine,  of  the  Medway  and  Albany,  if  I  recall  the 
three  weeks  spent  upon  the  '  fi;rapplini^  ground,'  where  we  were  often 
separated  by  fog,  gale,  or  darkness  ;  yet  whenever  day  dawned,  or  the 
fog  cleared,  there  the  squadron  were  to  be  seen,  converging  from  ditler- 
ent  points  towards  the  Mark  Buoy,  a  small  spot  looking  no  biifijer 
than  a  man's  hat  on  the  surface  of  the  ocean.  Unless  all  had  con- 
centrated their  minds,  and  watched  their  ships  and  compasses  uiglit 
and  day,  no  such  beautiful  illustration  of  nautical  science  could  have 
been  pos>ible.  The  vessels  of  the  squadron  keeping  always  together, 
and  commanded  by  men  who  knew  the  importance  of  keeping  close 
enough  to  begin  work  whenever  it  was  possible,  and  yet  to  avoid  col- 
lision in  fog,  was  of  the  greiitest  importance  ;  and  we  owe  much  to 
that  inviiluuble  system  of  signalling  by  night  and  day,  invented  by 
Captain  Colomb,  R.N.,  which  enabled  us,  even  in  dark  niglits,  when 
two  or  three  miles  apart,  to  coaimuuicate  or  ascertain  anything  we 
desired." 


i'li 


! 


I'll 


363 


STORY  OF  TriK  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


posed  to  go  east  a  hundred  miles,  to  a  place  where  the 
ocean  was  not  quite  so  dee|).  Deane,  in  his  Diary,  calls 
it  "  the  sixteen  hundred  fathom  patcli,"  but  they  found 
it  nineteen  hundred  fathoms,  or  about  two  miles  !  So 
the  next  morning  the  Great  Eastern,  the  Medway,  and 
the  Albany  "pulled  up  stakes,"  tliat  is,  took  in  their 
buoys,  and  bore  away  to  the  east.  In  a  few  hours 
they  reachfed  the  appointed  rendezvous,  and  had  set 
their  buoys.  The  last  day  of  August  had  come,  and 
all  seemed  favorable  for  a  final  attempt.  It  was  a 
clear  day,  with  no  wind.  The  sea  had  gone  down,  so 
that  at  noon  it  was  a  dead  calm,  as  the  three  ships  took 
their  position  in  line,  about  two  miles  apart,  ready  to 
open  their  broadsides  at  once.  The  grapnel  went  over 
for  the  thh'iu'fh  time.  Kind  heaven  favored  its  search, 
and  at  ten  minutes  before  midnight  it  had  found  the 
cable,  and  fastened  its  teeth  never  to  let  go.  Feeling 
something  at  the  end  of  the  rope,  the}^  began  to  haul 
in,  but  slowl}'^  at  first,  as  an  expert  angler  decoys  a  big 
fish  by  pulling  gently  on  the  line.  AVatching  the  dy- 
namometer, thev  saw  with  deliuht  tlie  strain  increase 
with  every  hundred  fathoms,  tip  it  went  to  eight, 
nine,  ten  tons  !  They  had  caught  it,  and  no  mistake. 
In  about  five  hours  the\'  had  drawn  it  up  to  within  a 
thousand  fathoms  of  the  top  of  the  water,  where  it 
hung  suspended  from  the  ship.  Rut  now  came  the 
critical  point,  for  as  it  approached  the  surface  the  dan- 
ger of  breaking  increased  ever}"^  moment.     It  required 


RECOVERY  OF  TriR   LOST   TARLE. 


363 


delicate  handling'.  To  nudvc  sure  tiiis  time,  tlie  (Ireat 
Eastern  buoyed  the  cable,  and  moved  off  two  or  three 
miles  to  take  a  fresh  grip  in  a  new  place;  and  hav- 
ing got  a  double  hold,  the  Medway,  which  was  two 
miles  further  to  the  west,  was  ordered  to  grapple  for 
it  also  ;  and  having  caught  it,  to  heave  up  with  all 
force,  till  she  should  bring  it  on  board  or  break  it. 
This  was  done,  and  the  old  cable  brought  up  within 
three  hundred  fathoms,  and  there  broken.  This  at 
once  lightened  the  strain  and  gave  them  an  end  to  pull 
upon,  whereupon  the  Great  Eastern,  having  a  lighter 
weight  on  the  rope,  drew  up  again,  but  still  gently, 
watching  the  strain,  lest  the  cable  should  break. 
These  operations  were  very  slow,  and  lasted  many  weary 
hours.  It  was  a  little  before  midnight  on  Friday  night 
that  the  cable  was  caught,  jind  it  was  after  inidnight 
Sunday  morning  that  it  was  brought  on  board.  How 
lon<r  that  dav  seemed  I  Xigiit  turned  to  morning,  and 
morning  to  noon,  and  noon  to  night  again,  and  still  the 
work  was  not  done  ;  still  the  great  ship  hung  over  the 
spot  where  its  treasure  was  suspended  in  the  deej). 
The  sun  went  down,  ami  the  moon  looked  forth  fr;)m 
driving  clouds  u[)()n  a  hcene  such  as  the  ocean  nev(M" 
saw  before.  At  a  distance  could  l)e  discerntid  the 
black  hulls  of  the  attendant  ships,  the  Albany  and  the 
Med  way.  But  why  were  they  thus  silent  and  motion- 
less in  the  midst  of  the  sea  ?  Some  mysterious  errand 
brought  them  here,  and  as  their  boats  approached  with 


304 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


W      f!l 


measured  sweep,  at  this  midnight  hour,  it  seemed  as  if 
they  came  with  mutlied  oars  to  an  ocean  burial.  It 
Avas  still  calm,  but  the  sea  began  to  moan  with  unrest, 
as  if  troubled  in  its  sleep.  As  midniglit  drew  on,  the 
interest  gathered  about  the  bows  of  the  Great  Eastern. 
The  l>ulwarks  were  crowded  with  anxious  watchers, 
peering  into  tlie  darkness  below.  Still  not  a  word  was 
spoken.  Xot  a  vtjice  ^vas  heard,  save  that  of  Captain 
Anderson,  or  Mi*.  Ilalpin,  or  Mi".  Caiming,  giving 
ordei's.  As  it  ai)proached  the  surface,  two  men,  who 
were  tried  hands,  wei'e  laslied  with  ropes  anil  lowered 
over  the  bows,  to  make  fast  to  the  cable  when  it  should 
ap})ear.  This  was  a  perilous  service,  and  the  boats 
were  there  to  pick  up  the  brave  fellows,  if  they  should 
di'op  into  the  water.  As  soon  as  it  showed  itself,  they 
dived  u})on  it,  and  seizing  it  with  their  hands,  fastened 
it  with  large  henii)en  stoppers,  which  were  (piickly  at- 
tached to  iive-inch  ropes. 

"  It  was  tlieu  found,  tliat  the  big'ht  was  so  firmly  caught 
in  tlie  sprinj^s  of  tlie  {grapnel,  tliat  oiio  of  tlio  ])rave  liands 
wlio  pill  on  the  .stoppers,  was  sent  lower  dow"  to  tlie  grapnel, 
and  with  lianuner  and  niurlinspike,  the  rope  was  ultimately 
freed  from  tlic  tenaciims  gripe  of  tlie  flukes.  The  signal  be- 
ing given  to  haul  up.  the  western  end  of  the  bight  was  cut 
with  a  saw,  and  grandly  and  majestically  the  cable  rose  up 
the  frowning  liows  of  the  Great  Eastern,  slowly  ])assing 
round  the  sheave  at  the  bow,  and  then  over  the  wheels  oil 
to  the  fore  part  of  the  d<>ck.  The  greatest  possible  care  had 
to  be  taken  by  Mr.  Canning  and  his  assistauts,  to  secure  the 


a 
ft 


iU 


!i  / 


I 


Ml 


Ml)  :, 


m  ri 


RECOVERY  OF  THE  LOST  CARLE. 


3(1- 


rablo  l)y  putting'  on  stopjicM's,  and  to  watch  tho  pro<jres.s  of 
the  grapnel,  rope,  and  shackles,  round  the  drum,  before  it 
received  the  cable  itself." 

When  once  it  was  niatlo  fast,  all  took  a  long  breath. 
The  cable  was  recovered.  They  had  the  sea-serpent 
at  last.  There  the  monster  lav,  its  neck  firmlv  in  their 
gri[)e,  and  its  black  head  lying  on  the  deck.  But  even 
then  there  was  no  cheering,  as  when  they  caught  it 
two  weeks  before.  Men  are  sometimes  stunned  by  a 
sudden  success,  and  liai'dlv  know  if  it  be  not  all  a 
dream.  So  now  thev  looked  at  the  cable  with  eaffer 
eyes,  but  without  a  word,  and  some  crept  toward  it  to 
take  it  in  their  hands,  to  be  sure  that  they  were  not 
deceived.  Yes — it  was  the  same  that  they  paid  out  into 
the  sea  tliirteen  months  before ! 

But  their  anxiety  was  not  over.  Now  that  they  had 
regained  the  lost  cable  of  isr)5,  was  it  good  for  any 
thing '.  It  had  been  lying  more  than  a  year  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  deep.  What  if  it  should  prove  to  have  been 
broken  somewhere  in  the  eleven  hundred  miles  between 
the  ship  and  Ireland  ?  What  if  some  sharp  rock  had 
worn  it  away,  or  some  marine  insect  had  eaten  into  its 
heart  ?  If  there  were  but  a  pin's  point,  an  \' where  in 
its  covering  of  flesh,  the  vital  current  might  escape 
through  it  into  the  sea.  Fears  like  these  resti-ained 
their  exultation.  It  was  yet  too  soon  to  proclaim  their 
victory.  So,  as  the  cable  was  passed  along  the  deck 
to  the  testing  room,  where  the  cliief  electrician  was  to 


■i    I 


I'  :;i 


(1  l.i  ■  \ 


III 


36G 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


•1        !' 


• 


operate  upon  it,  to  see  whether  it  was  aUve  or  dead,  it 
Avas  followed  by  an  anxious  group,  who  stood  around 
him  as  he  sat  down  at  the  instrument,  Avatching  his 
countenance  as  friends  watch  the  face  of  a  physician, 
when  he  feels  the  pulse  of  a  patient  to  see  if  the  heart 
is  still  beating.  The  scene  is  thus  described  by  Mr. 
Robert  Dudley,  the  artist  of  the  expedition,  whose 
spirited  sketches  in  the  London  Illustrated  News  have 
made  known  to  the  world  many  incidents  of  this 
memorable  voyage : 

' '  I  made  my  way  with  others,  in  accordance  with  an  invi- 
tation from  Willoug:hby  Smith,  to  the  electricians'  rootn. 
Here,  after  another  hour's  preparation,  during  which  time 
the  cable  had  been  carefully  passed  round  the  drums  of  the 
picking-up  machinery,  and  a  sufficient  length  drawn  in  on 
board,  the  severed  end  was  received.  And  now,  in  tlieir 
mysterious,  darkened  haunt,  the  wizards  are  ready  to  work 
their  spells  upon  the  tamed  lightning.  Not  '  unhoh'  spells' 
are  these,  or  secret  ;  for,  though  the  wizards'  den  is  but  of 
limited  dimensions,  they  have  not  been  averse  to  the  pres- 
ence of  a  few  visitors.  Mr.  Gooch  is  looking  on  ;  Professor 
Thomson,  be  sure,  is  here,  a  worthy  '  Wizard  of  the  North  ; ' 
Cj'rus  Field  could  no  more  be  absent  than  the  cable  itself;  I 
think,  too.  Canning,  hard  at  work  as  he  is  forward  in  the 
ship,  must  have  dropped  in  just  for  a  moment;  Clifford, 
Laws,  Captain  Hamilton,  Deane,  Dudley — all  have,  in  their 
several  ways,  a  great  interest  in  every  movement  of  Wil- 
loughby  Smith  and  his  brother  (and  able  assistant)  Oliver  ; 
and,  when  the  core  of  the  cable  is  stripped  and  the  heart 
itself — the  conducting  wire— fixed  in   the  instrument,   and 


M 


'"I 


:    H 


:  :i 


l:i 


J  ■.,^..^^;ar«.'>^f%*iJt«/-"'l 


^<««eiP'-'!:iMIWf»W«  " 


li^ 


RECOVERY  OF  THE  LOST  CABLE. 


3G7 


these  two  electricians  bend  over  tlie  galvanometer  in  patient 
watching  for  some  message  from  that  far-off  land  of  home 
to  which  the  great  news  has  just  been  signalled,  then  the 
accustomed  stillness  of  tlie  test-room  is  deepened;  the  ticking 
of  the  chronometer  becomes  monotonous.  Nearly  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  has  passed,  and  still  no  sign  !  Suddenly  Wil- 
loughby  Smith's  hat  is  off,  and  the  Britisli  hurrah  bursts 
from  his  lips,  echoed  by  all  on  board  with  a  volley  of  cheers, 
evidently  none  the  worse  for  having  been  '  bottled  up'  dur- 
ing the  last  three  hours.  Along  the  deck  outside,  over  the 
ship,  throughout  the  ship,  the  pent-up  enthusiasm  over- 
flowed ;  and  even  before  the  test-room  was  cleared,  the  roar- 
ing bravos  of  our  guns  drowned  the  huzzas  of  the  crew,  and 
the  whiz  of  rockets  was  heard  rushing  high  into  the  clear 
morning  sky  to  greet  our  consort-ships  with  tlie  glad  intelli- 
gence." 

While  this  scene  is  going  on  on  board  ship,  we  may 
turn  to  the  other  end  of  the  line.  It  may  be  well 
supposed  that  the  result  of  this  attempt  was  watched 
"with  deep  interest  at  Valentia.  How  they  looked  for 
the  first  signal  from  the  deep,  and  how  the  tidings 
came,  is  thus  told  in  the  London  Spectator : 

' '  Night  and  day,  for  a  whole  year,  an  electrician  has  al  ways 
been  on  duty,  watching  the  tiny  ray  of  light  through  which 
signals  are  given,  and  twice  everj'  day  the  whole  length  of 
wire — one  thousand  two  hundred  and  forty  miles — has  been 
tested  for  conductivity  and  insulation.  .  .  .  The  object  of 
observing  the  ray  of  light  Avas  of  course  not  any  expectation 
of  a  message,  but  simply  to  keep  an  accurate  record  of  the 
condition  of  the  wii*e.     Sometimes,  indeed,  wild,  incoherent 


■I:  ;;l 


-il 


3 


1 ;  1^  >i 


{  '■ 


li 


308 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


messages  from  the  deep  did  come,  but  these  were  merely 
the  results  of  magnetic  stortns  and  earth-currents,  which 
deflected  tlie  galvanometer  rapidly,  and  upclf  the  most  extra- 
ordiintry  irords,  and  nonietitncs  even  sentences  of  nonsense. 
Suddenly,  last  Sunday  morning,  at  a  quarter  to  six  o'clock, 
while  the  light  was  being  watched  by  Mr.  May,*  he  observed 
a  peculiar  indication  alioiU  it,  which  showed  at  once  to  his 
experienced  eye  that  a  message  was  at  hand.  In  a  few 
minutes  afterward  the  unsteady  flickering  was  changed  to 
coherencj',  if  we  may  use  such  a  term,  aiul  at  onv  o  the  cable 
began  to  speak,  to  transmit,  that  is.  at  regular  intervals,  the 
appointed  signals  which  indicated  human  purpose  and 
method  at  the  other  end,  instead  of  the  hurried  signs, 
broken  speech,  and  inarticulate  cries  of  tlie  illiterate  At- 
lantic. After  the  long  interval  in  which  it  had  brought  us 
nothing  but  the  moody  and  often  delirious  mutterings  of  the 
sea,  stammering  over  its  alphabet  in  vain,  the  words  '  Can- 
ning to  Glass '  must  have  seemed  like  the  first  rational 
word  uttered  by  a  high-fevered  patient,  when  the  ravings 
have  ceased  and  his  consciousness  returns." 

The  telegraphic  fleet  remained  together  but  a  few 
hours  after  this  recovery  of  the  lost  cable.  The  battle 
was  gained,  and  the  three  ships  were  no  longer  needed. 
The  Albany,  therefore,  parted  company  to  pick  up  the 
buoys,  and  at  once  sailed  for  Englanil,  while  the  Great 
Eastern,  attended  by  the  faithful  Medway,  turned  to 
the  west.     It  was   about  nine  o'clock    that   the  ship 

*  This  Is  an  error.  Mr.  Crocker,  an  operator  in  the  Telegraph  House 
at  Valentia,  was  the  fortunate  one  on  watch  at  that  hour,  on  whose  eye 
the  tir»i  ray  fell,  as  a  spark  of  life  from  the  dead. 


«1     '■ 


:ll  ; 


IlECOVERV   OF  THE  LOST  CAIJLE. 


3G'J 


began  to  pay  out  tlio  cable.  Up  to  that  time  it  luul 
continued  calm,  but  tiie  morning-  was  raw  and  chill,  and 
the  sea  began  to  rise  as  if  in  anger  at  those  who  liad 
torn  from  it  its  prey.  Captain  Anderson  Icjoked  anx- 
iously at  the  signs  of  the  ccjining  storm.  Tt  seemed 
as  if  Heaven  had  kept  Ijack  the  winds  dui'ing  the  crit- 
ical day  and  night  when  they  were  lifting  the  cable! 
But  now  the  tempest  was  upon  thein.  and  for  thirty- 
six  hours  it  swept  the  ocean.  All  trembled  lest  they 
should  not  be  able  to  hold  on.  liut  little  incidents 
sometimes  turn  the  current  of  one's  thoughts,  and  give 
a  feeling  of  i)eace  even  in  the  midst  of  anxiety.  Says 
Mr.  Field  : 

"In  the  very  height  and  fury  of  the  gale,  as  I  sat  in 
the  electrician's  room,  a  flasli  of  light  came  up  from  the 
deep,  which  having  crossed  to  Ireland,  came  back  to  me 
in  mid-ocean,  telling  tlmt  those  so  dear  to  me,  whom  I  had 
left  on  the  banks  of  tlie  Hudson,  were  well,  and  following 
us  with  their  wishes  and  their  prayers.  This  was  like  a 
whisper  of  God  from  the  sea,  bidding  me  keep  lieart  and 
hope.  The  Great  Eastern  bore  lierself  proudly  thi'ough  the 
storm,  as  if  she  knew  that  the  vital  cord  which  was  to  join 
two  hemispheres,  hung  at  her  stern;  and  so  on  Saturday,  the 
seventh  of  September,  we  brought  our  second  cable  safely  to 
the  shore." 

The    scene    at    Heart's    Content,    when    the    fleet 

appeared    the    second    time,    was    one    that    beggars 

description.     Its  arrival  was  not  unexpected,  for  the 

success  on  Sunday  morning,  that  bad  be "n  telegraphed 

24 


m 


•~JH<M*tt,--w»»n.;\  MtnWManu- 


4 


i. 


l\ 


li  ; 


I  i 


Mm 
1 1." 


870 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELKOUAPII. 


to  Ireland,  was  at  once  flashed  across  the  Atlantic,  and 
the  people  were  watching  for  its  coming.  As  the  ships 
came  U|>  the  harbor  it  was  covered  with  boats,  and  all 
were  wild  with  excitement ;  and  when  the  big  shore-end 
was  got  out  of  the  Medway,  and  dragged  to  land,  the 
Sfiilors  hugged  it  and  almost  kissed  it  in  their  extrava- 
gance of  joy  ;  and  no  sooner  was  it  safely  landed 
than  the}'  seized  Mr.  Field,  Mr.  Canning,  and  Mr. 
Chrt'ord  in  their  arms,  and  raised  them  over  their 
heads,  wnile  the  crowd  cheered  with  tumultuous  en- 
thusiasm. 

The  voyage  of  the  Grejit  Eastern  was  ended.  Twice 
had  she  been  victorious  over  the  sea ;  twice  had  she  laid 
the  spoils  of  victory  on  the  shores  of  the  New  "World, 
and  her  mission  was  accomplished.  All  on  board,  who 
had  been  detained  weeks  beyond  the  expected  time,  were 
impatient  to  return  ;  and  accordingly  she  prepared 
to  sail  the  very  next  day  on  her  homeward  voyage. 
The  Medway,  which  had  on  board  the  cable  for  the 
Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence,  remained  two  or  three  weeks 
longer,  and  with  the  Terrible,  whose  gallant  officers  had 
volunteered  for  the  service,  successfully  accomplished 
that  work.  But  the  Groat  Eastern  was  bound  for 
England,  and  Mr.  Field  had  now  to  part  from  his 
friends  on  board.  It  was  a  trying  moment.  Rejoiced 
as  he  was  .at  the  successful  termination  of  the  voyage, 
yet  when  he  came  to  leave  the  ship,  where  he  had 
spent  so  many  anxious  days  and  weeks,  both  this  year 


'm*i>ms!f^>Kf4imir- 


■■'ys^^T'iifSESSSs?-^ 


m 

m 


r 


RECOVERY  OF  THE  LOST  CABLE. 


371 


1 


and  the  year  before ;  and  to  part  from  men  to  whom 
he  was  bound  bv  the  stronp^  ties  that  unite  those 
embarked  in  a  common  enterprise — brave  companions 
in  arms — he  could  not  repress  a  feehng  of  sadness.  It 
was  with  deej)  emotion  that  Captain  Anderson  took  him 
by  the  hand,  as  he  said,  "  The  time  is  come  that  we 
must  part."  As  he  went  over  the  side  of  the  ship, 
the  commander  cried, "  Give  Jim  three  cheers !  "  "And 
now  three  more  for  his  far.illy  !  "  The  ringing  hurrahs 
of  that  galhmt  crew  were  the  last  sounds  he  heard  as 
he  sunk  back  in  the  boat  that  took  him  to  the  Medway, 
while  the  wheels  of  the  Great  Eastern  began  to  move, 
and  the  noble  ship,  with  her  noble  company,  bore 
awav  for  England. 

Our  story  is  told.  We  have  followed  the  history  of 
the  Atlantic  Telegraph  fi-om  ^\\g  beginning  to  the 
end ;  from  the  hour  that  the  idea  first  occurred  to  its 
projector,  turning  over  the  globe  in  his  library,  till 
the  cable  was  stretched  fi'om  continent  to  continent. 
Between  these  two  points  of  time  many  3'ears  have 
passed,  and  many  struggles  intervened.  Never  did 
an  entei'prise  ])ass  through  more  vicissitudes ;  never 
was  courage  tried  by  more  reverses  and  disai)point- 
ments,  the  constant  repetition  of  which  gives  to  this 
narrative  an  almost  painful  intei'est.  Yet  that  back- 
ground of  disaster  only  sets  in  brighter  relief  the  spirit 
that  bore  up  under  all,  the  faith  that  never  despaired, 
and  the  patience  that  was  never  weary.     It   was  a 


<» 


if 


1| 


^0 


a 


i 


'"'fifi^YiMia. 


mm 


■Wiwwmiiii.uiii>iiiixiii 


372        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 

pathetic  as  well  as  heroic  story  which  Mr.  Field  had 
to  tell  when  it  was  all  over.     He  said : 

' '  It  lias  been  a  long,  hard  struggle.  Nearly  thirteen 
years  of  anxious  watching  and  ceaseless  toil.  Often  my 
heart  has  been  ready  to  sink.  Many  times,  when  wander- 
ing in  the  forests  of  Newfoundland,  in  the  pelting  rain,  or 
on  the  deck  of  ships,  on  dark,  stormy  nights — alone,  far 
from  home — I  have  almost  accused  myself  of  madness  and 
folly  to  sacrifice  the  peace  of  my  family,  and  all  the  hopes  of 
life,  for  what  might  prove  after  all  but  a  dream.  I  have 
seen  my  companions  one  and  another  falling  by  my  side, 
and  feared  that  I  too  might  not  live  to  .see  tlie  end.  And  yet 
one  hope  has  led  me  on,  and  I  liave  prayed  that  I  might 
not  taste  of  death  till  this  work  was  accomplished.  That 
prayer  is  answered  ;  and  now,  beyond  all  acknowledgments 
to  man,  is  the  feeling  of  gratitude  to  Almighty  God."  * 

"  Long  and  hard  "  indeed  had  been  the  way,  but  in 
the  end  what  a  triumph  was  gained  :  an  achievement 
that  was  one  of  the  most  marvellous  in  all  history,  as 
a  proof  of  man's  dominion  over  the  forces  of  nature. 
When  it  was  first  proposed  to  span  the  Atlantic,  it 
seemed  but  a  beautiful  dream,  fascinating  indeed  to 
the  imagination,  but  bej'ond  all  human  power:  and 
men  listened  to  the  picture  of  what  might  be  wnth  de- 
lighted amazement  and  wondering  incredulity.  In  an 
oration  at  the  opening  of  the  Dudley  Observator}'  at 
Albany,  in  1857,  Edward  Everett  spoke  thus  of  the 
projected  Atlantic  Telegraph  : 

*  Speech  at  the  Chamber  of  Commerce  Dinner,  Nov.  15,  1866. 


fi 


RECOVERY  OF  THE  LOST  CABLE. 


373 


"I  liokl  in  my  hand  a  portion  of  the  identical  electrical 
cable,  given  ine  by  my  friend  Mr.  Peabody,  which  is  now  in 
progress  of  manufacture  to  connect  America  witli  Europe. 
Does  it  seem  all  but  incredible  to  you  that  intelligence 
should  travel  for  two  tliousand  miles,  along  those  slender 
copper  wires,  far  down  in  tlie  all  but  fatliomless  Atlantic, 
never  before  penetrated  by  aught  pertaining  to  humanity, 
save  when  some  foundering  vessel  has  plunged  with  her 
hapless  company  to  the  eternal  silence  and  darkness  of  the 
abyss  ?  Does  it  seem,  I  say,  all  but  a  miracle  of  art,  that 
the  thoughts  of  living  men — the  thoughts  that  we  think  up 
liere  on  the  earth's  surface,  in  the  cheerful  light  of  day — 
about  the  markets  and  the  exchanges,  and  tlie  reasons,  and 
the  elections,  and  tlie  treaties,  and  the  wars,  and  all  the  fond 
nothings  of  daily  life,  should  clothe  themselves  with  elemen- 
tal sparks,  and  shoot  with  fiery  speed,  in  a  moment,  in  the 
twinkling  of  an  eye,  from  hemisphei-e  to  hemisphere,  far 
down  among  the-  uncouth  monsters  that  wallow  in  the 
nether  seas,  along  the  wreck-paved  floor,  through  the  oozy 
dungeons  of  the  rayless  deep  ;  that  the  latest  intelligence  of 
the  crops,  whose  dancing  tassels  will,  in  a  few  months,  be 
coquetting  with  the  west  wind  on  those  boundless  prairies, 
should  go  Hashing  along  the  slimy  decks  of  old  sunken 
galleons,  which  have  been  rotting  for  ages  :  that  messages 
of  friendsliip  and  love,  from  warm,  living  bosoms,  should 
burn  over  the  cold,  green  bones  of  men  and  women,  whose 
hearts,  once  as  warm  as  ours,  burst  as  the  eternal  gulfs 
closed  and  roared  over  them  centuries  ago  !  " 


But  II  few  years  i)assed,  aiul  the  vision  became  a 
reality.    The  heart  of  the  world  beat  under  the  sea. 


>  M 
i 


'nr    ■-^■■■•iwifffr- "  •it9'ff-tftysmr\  ■ 


CHAPTER   XYIII. 


THE   AFTERGLOW. 


I       )• 


It  is  the  clear  shining  after  rain.  The  storms  that 
swept  the  sea,  have  blown  themselves  out,  and  all  is 
tranquil  on  the  face  of  the  deep.  The  cable  is  lying 
in  its  ocean  bed  uniting  the  two  hemispheres,  never- 
more to  be  separated.  And  now  comes  the  public 
recognition  on  both  sides  the  Atlantic,  though  in  dif- 
ferent form.  The  event  had  produced  a  profound 
impression  throughout  the  civilized  world.  Yet  it  was 
a  singular  illustration  of  the  changes  in  public  inter- 
est, that,  whereas  in  1858  a  temporary  success  had 
kindled  the  wildest  enthusiasm  in  the  United  States, 
while  in  England  it  was  regarded  almost  with  indiffer- 
ence, now  the  state  of  feeling  in  the  two  countries  was 
completely  reversed.  In  Great  Britain  it  was  the 
theme  of  boundles^  congratulation,  while  in  America 
the  public  mind — dulled  perhaps  by  the  excitements 
of  four  years  of  war — received  the  news  with  com- 
posure. The  reason  was,  in  part,  that  England  had 
had  a  larger  share  in  the  later  than  in  the  earlier  expe- 
ditions. Certainly  none  could  deny  the  inestimable 
seiTices  rendered  by  her  men  of  science,  her  seamen, 


THE  AFTERGLOW. 


875 


her  engineers,  and  her  great  capitahsts;  and  it  was 
most  fit  that  tlie  country  whicli  they  had  honored 
should  do  them  lionor  in  its  turn.  Scarcelv  had  the 
Great  Eastern  recrossed  the  sea  before  those  to  whom 
the  empire  owed  so  much,  were  duly  recognized  in  the 
following  letter  from  the  Earl  of  Derby,  then  Prime 
Minister,  addressed  to  Sir  Stafford  Northcote,  who  was 
to  preside  at  a  dinner  given  in  Liverpool,  to  celebrate 
the  great  achievement : 

"  Balmoral,  Saturday,  Sept.  29,  1866. 
"  Dear  Sir  Stafford  :  As  I  understand  you  are  to  have 
the  honor  of  taking  the  chair  at  the  entertainment  whicli  is 
to  be  given  on  Monday  next,  in  Liverpool,  to  celebrate  the 
double  success  which  has  attended  the  great  undertaking  of 
laying  the  cable  of  1866,  and  recovering  that  of  1865,  by 
wliich  the  two  continents  of  Europe  and  America  are  hap- 
pily connected,  I  am  commanded  by  the  Queen  to  make 
known  to  you,  and  through  you  to  those  over  whom  you 
are  to  preside,  the  deep  interest  with  wliich  Her  Majesty  has 
regarded  the  progress  of  this  noble  work  ;  and  to  tender 
Her  Majesty's  cordial  congratulations  to  all  of  those  whose 
energy  and  perseverance,  whose  skill  and  science  have 
triumphed  over  all  difficulties,  aiul  accomplished  a  success 
alike  honorable  to  themselves  and  to  their  country,  and 
beneficial  to  the  world  at  large.  Her  Majesty,  desirous  of 
testifying  her  sense  of  the  various  merits  which  have  been 
displayed  in  this  great  enterprise,  has  commanded  me  to 
submit  to  her,  for  special  marks  of  her  royal  favor,  the 
names  of  those  wlio,  having  had  assigned  to  them  prominent 
positions,  may  be  considered  as  representing  tlie  different 


i' 


7!^'  I'itfiiSteir^M'iWBiwwBr  ffnimmmm'iuam: 


r.t  ^^&«ii  I 


■2^J2 


ET 


i 


! 


0  ■  ' 


■5ii 


i 


876 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


departments,  whose  united  labors  have  contributed  to  the 
final  result  ;  and  Her  Majesty  has  accordingly  been  pleased 
to  direct  that  the  honor  of  knighthood  should  be  conferred 
upon  Captain  Anderson,  the  able  and  zealous  commander  of 
the  Great  Eastern  ;  Professor  Thomson,  whose  distinguished 
science  has  been  brought  to  bear  with  eminent  success  upon 
the  improvement  of  submarine  telegraphy ;  and  on  Messrs. 
Glas'*  fin'l  C  mning,  the  manager  and  engineer  respectively 
of  t'        "  irih  Maintenance  Company,   whose  skill   and 

exp(  L>'ii  •  .  "  mainly  contributed  to  the  admirable  con- 

strnctio'  auii  :Ki;ossful  laying  of  the  cable.  Her  Majesty 
is  further  pleased  to  mark  her  approval  of  the  public  spirit 
and  eneif,;  •/  'he  tv  '  .^mpanies  who  have  had  successively 
the  conduct  of  the  iiii-.'  livv  ig,  by  oflPering  the  dignity  of  a 
baronetcy  of  the  United  Kingdom  to  Mr.  Lampson,  the 
Deputy  Chairman  of  the  original  company,  to  whose  reso- 
lute support  of  the  project  in  spite  of  all  discouragements  it 
was  in  a  great  measure  owing  that  it  was  not  at  one  time 
abandoned  in  despair  ;  and  to  Mr.  Gooch,  M.P.,  the  Chair- 
man of  the  company  which  has  finally  completed  the  de- 
sign. If  among  the  names  thus  submitted  to  and  approved 
by  Her  Majesty,  that  of  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  does  not  appear, 
the  omission  must  not  be  attributed  to  any  disregard  of  the 
eminent  services  which,  from  the  first,  he  has  rendered  to 
the  cause  of  transatlantic  telegraphy,  and  the  zeal  and  re.so- 
lution  with  which  he  has  adhered  to  the  prosecution  of  his 
object,  but  to  an  apprehension  lest  it  might  appear  to 
encroach  on  the  province  of  his  own  Government,  if  Her 
Majesty  were  advised  to  oflPer  a  citizen  of  the  United  States, 
for  a  service  rendered  alike  to  both  countries,  British  marks 
of  honor,  which,  following  the  example  of  another  highly 
distinguished  citizen,  he  might  feel  himself  unable  to  accept." 


THE  AFTERGLOW. 


377 


The  reason  assigned  by  Lord  Derby  for  the  omission 
of  Mr.  Field's  name  in  tlie  distribution  of  honors,  was 
perfectly  understood  and  entirely  satis  factor}'.  The 
British  Government  had  once  before  offered  a  baron- 
etcy to  Mr.  George  Peabody  in  recognition  of  his 
jirincely  benefactions  to  the  poor  of  London,  but  while 
he  appi'eciated  the  honor,  he  felt  that  as  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States,  he  could  not  accept  it,  and  the  same 
reason  would  apply  in  the  present  case.  But  wliile 
this  alone  prevented  official  recognition,  it  couhl  not 
prevent  the  hearty  expression  of  Englislunen  who 
knew  the  history  of  the  great  enterprise  from  the  be- 
ginning. At  this  very  dinner,  the  Chairman  gave,  as 
the  first  toast,  '*  Tiie  Original  Projectors  of  the  Atlan- 
tic Cable,"'  which  he  proposed  early  in  order  to  give 
Mr.  Cyrus  Field  (who  was  very  near  to  them,  although 
he  happened  to  be  in  America !)  a  chance  of  respond- 
ing !  The  allusion  is  explained  by  the  remark  of  one 
present  who  had  said  :  — 

"  You  will  be  pleased  to  hear  that  Mr.  Brifj^ht  has  kindly 
brought  the  telegraph  wire  into  the  room  in  which  we  are 
sitting,  and  no  sooner  will  the  toast  involving  the  mention 
of  Mr.  Field's  name  be  given  from  the  chair,  than  it  will  be 
flashed  with  lightnijig  speed  to  Yalentia,  thence  to  New- 
foundland, and  if  Mr.  Field  is  at  home,  it  is  quite  possible 
that  he  himself  will  receive  it,  ere  tlie  echo  of  your  ringing 
cheei's  has  died  away  in  Liverpool."' 

A  raessase  was  at  once  sent  from  the  room  to 
^Newfoundland,  and  a  reply  received  back  that  Mr. 


iass»-  KTe^tB*-" 


itiiMnwniiBriifMiiipi 


nwn 


"^^^^^f^^^^if^^^p^^^ 


r 


878 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Field  had  left  for  New  York.  In  continuing  his 
speech,  Sir  Stafford  Northcoto  said :  "  I  think  there 
can  be  no  doubt  in  the  minds  of  those  who  liave  care- 
fully examined  the  history  of  these  transactions,  that 
it  is  to  Mr.  Cyrus  Field  that  we  owe  the  practical 
carrying  out  of  the  idea  which  has  borne  such  glori- 
ous fruit.  I  am  sure  there  is  none  to  whom  we  owe 
more,  or  whose  name  stands  in  prouder  connection 
with  this  great  undertaking,  than  the  name  of  Mr. 
Cyrus  Field." 

He  called  upon  Sir  Charles  Bright  to  reply,  who  de- 
tailed somewhat  the  history  of  the  enterprise  from  the 
very  beginning  in  1856,  when  "Mr.  Cyrus  Field,  to 
whom  the  world  was  more  indebted  than  to  anv  other 
person  for  the  establishment  of  the  line,  came  to  Eng- 
land upon  the  completion  of  the  telegraph  between 
Nova  Scotia  and  Newfoundland." 

To  the  same  effect  is  the  testimony  of  a  distin- 
guished writer,  W.  H.  Russell,  LL.D.,  who  was  on  board 
of  the  Great  Eastern  in  1865,  as  the  correspondent  of 
The  Times,  and  wrote  a  very  graphic  History  of  the 
Expedition  (p.  10) : 


"It  has  been  said  that  the  greatest  boons  conferred  on 
mankind,  have  been  due  to  men  of  one  idea.  If  the  laying 
of  the  Atlantic  cable  be  among  those  benefits,  its  consumma- 
tion may  certainly  be  attributed  to  the  man  who,  having 
many  ideas,  devoted  himself  to  work  out  one  idea,  with  a 
gentle  force  and  patient  vigor  which  converted  opposition  and 


i:i„ 


~ 


THE  AFTERGLOW. 


370 


overcame  indifference.  Mr.  Field  may  be  likened  eitlier  to 
the  core,  or  the  external  protection,  of  the  cable  itself.  At 
times  he  has  been  its  active  life  ;  again  he  has  been  its  iron- 
bound  guardian.  Let  who  will  claim  the  merit  of  having 
first  said  the  Atlantic  cable  was  possible  ;  to  Mr.  Field  is  due 
the  inalienable  merit  of  having  made  it  possible,  and  of  giv- 
ing to  an  abortive  conception  all  the  attributes  of  healthy 
existence." 

Sir  William  Thomson,  on  the  final  triumpli,  wrote : 

"  My  dear  Field,  I  cannot  refrain  from  putting  down  in 
black  and  white  my  hearty  congratulations  on  your  great  suc- 
cess.    Few  know  better  than  I  do  liow  well  you  deserve  it." 

Eight  montlis  after  he  Avrote  from  Scotland  : 

"  I  am  sorry  I  had  not  an  opportunity  of  saying  in  public 
how  much  I  value  your  energy  and  perseverance  in  carrying 
through  the  great  enterprise,  and  how  clearly  you  stand  out 
in  its  history  as  its  originator  and  its  mainspring  from  begin- 
ning to  end." 

Next  to' Sir  "William  Thomson  was  Mr.  C.  F.  Varley, 
who  was  associated  in  the  work  from  an  early  day,  and 
did  much  to  solve  the  difficult  problems  of  ocean  teleg- 
raphy, and  who  wrote  to  Mr.  Field,  speaking  from  his 
personal  knowledge  :  "  You  did  more  than  any  other 
to  float  the  concern,  and  single-handed  saved  the  whole 
scheme  from  collapse  more  than  once." 

Captain  Sir  James  Anderson  repeated  the  same  con- 
viction in  numberless  forms.  He  had  seen  how  the 
presence  of  Mr.  Field  in  London  instantly  revived  the 
languid  enthusiasm  of  others,  and  infused  his  own 


'.' 


^^suUdcLik^vk.^::^ 


H^BISH 


^ww'  sufejuwiiy^'""  •  ■^^TwaW''*- 


i 


!  ■ 


ill 


:  f 


880 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


energy  into  the  enterprise,  and  declared  again  and 
again  that  but  for  these  heroic  and  incessant  efforts  the 
whole  scheme  would  have  bnjken  down,  and  been 
delaved  for  manv  vears. 

Such  expressions  from  English  associates  in  the  great 
woi'lc  might  be  multiplied  to  an}'  extent.  They  are 
much  strongei'  than  an}'  language  used  by  the  author 
of  this  volume,  who  has  purposely  kept  back  such  testi- 
monies, lest  it  should  seem  that  he  wished  to  exalt  an 
individual,  when  he  sought  to  do  justice  to  all,  on  both 
sides  of  the  Atlantic. 

Noi-  was  such  recognition  confined  to  England. 
The  Kinff  of  Ita.lv  conferred  on  Mr.  Field  the  cross 
of  the  order  of  St.  Mauritius,  as  an  acknowledgment 
from  the  country  of  Columbus  to  one  who  had  done 
so  much  to  unite  to  the  Old  World  that  I^ew  "World 
which  Columbus  discovered. 

A  still  higher  honor  Avas  paid  by  the  Great  Expo- 
sition in  Paris,  in  1867,  which,  gathering  the  products 
of  the  genius  and  skill  and  industry  of  all  nations, 
recognized  the  labors  of  men  of  all  countries,  who,  by 
their  discoveries  or  great  enterprises,  had  rendered 
eminent  services  to  the  cause  of  civilization.  It  awarded 
the  Grand  Puize,  the  highest  distinction  it  had  to 
bestow,  to  Mr.  Field  by  name,  jointly  with  the  Anglo- 
American  and  Atlantic  Telegraph  Companies,  thus 
recognizing,  as  was  most  due,  the  splendid  exhibition 
of  the  science  and  the  capital  of  England,  which  were 


THE  AFTERGLOW. 


381 


never  more  difcctly  oinployed  for  the  benefit  of  the 
liuniiin  race,  than  in  the  uniting  of  tlio  two  Tlemi- 
pheres,  wiiile  it  gave  the  first  phice  in  tlie  grand  design 
to  its  American  leader. 

But  to  an  American  no  ])raise  is  so  dear  as  that 
which  comes  from  his  own  countrymen.  First  of  all 
to  Mr.  Field,  was  that  which  came  from  the  faithful 
few  who  had  stood  by  him  and  witnessed  his  exertions 
for  twelve  long  years.  At  the  first  annual  meeting  of 
the  stockholders  of  the  New  York,  Newfoundland,  and 
London  Telegrapli  CJompany,  the  following  resolution 
was,  on  motion  of  Mv.  Moses  Taylor,  seconded  by  Mr. 
"Wilson  G.  Hunt,  unanimously  adopted  : 


i 


Whereas,  This  Company  was  tlio  first  ever  formed  for  the 
establishment  of  an  Atlantic  Teleffraph ;  an  enterprise  upon 
which  it  started  in  tlic  beg'inniiif,''  of  1854,  at  the  instance  of 
Mr.  Cyrus  W.  Field,  and  which,  throng'li  liis  wise  and  un- 
wearied energ-y,  acting-  upon  this  Company,  and  others 
afterwards  formed  in  connection  with  it,  has  been  success- 
fully accomplished:  Therefore  the  stockholders  of  this  Com- 
pany, at  this  their  first  meeting'  since  the  completion  of  the 
enterprise,  desiring-  to  testify  their  sense  of  Mr.  Field's  ser- 
vices : 

Resolve:  First — Tliat  to  him  more  than  any  other  man, 
the  world  is  indebted  for  this  magnificent  instrument  of 
g-ood;  and  but  for  him  it  would  not,  in  all  probability,  be 
now  in  existence ; 

Second— That  the  thanks  of  the  stockholders  of  this  Com- 
pany are  hereby  given  to  Mr.  Field  for  these  services,  which, 


m 

ill' 

i 


I 


tkimt*  r^f-ftKHK^/ffivmm. :, 


mmimmim 


88:i 


STOllY  OF  TIIK  ATLANTIC  TKLHOIIAIMI. 


though  so  grciil  in  thoinsolvcs,  iiiul  so  vuhjiilih'  to  this  Cora- 
])aiiy,  w»'r<>  iM'mlorcd  without  uiiy  rcimnicratiou ;  nnd 

Third — Thiit  a  coin'  of  this  n-solution,  certified  by  the 
Cliairman  and  Secretary  of  this  niec^ting,  be  delivered  to  Mr. 
Field  as  a  recofruition,  l)y  those  wlio  best  know,  of  liis  just 
right  to  be  always  regarded  as  the  Hrst  j)rojeetor,  and  niost 
persistent  and  etiicient  promoter,  of  tlie  Atlantic  Telegraph. 

Peter  CooI'ek,  Chairman. 

WlLHON  G.  Hunt,  Secretary. 

To  testify  the  public  Jippreciation  of  this  great 
achievement,  and  of  his  part  in  it,  the  Chamber  of 
Commerce  of  New  York  invited  Mr.  Fiehl  to  a  public 
banquet,  which  was  given  on  the  fifteenth  of  Novem- 
ber. It  was  attended  by  about  three  hundred  gentle- 
men— not  only  merchants  and  bankers,  but  men  of 
all  professions — lawyers  and  judges,  clergymen  and 
presidents  of  colleges,  members  of  the  Ciovernment  and 
foreign  ministers,  and  otiicers  of  the  army  and  navy. 
The  President  of  the  Chamber  of  Commerce,  Mr.  A.  A. 
Low,  presided,  and,  at  the  close  of  his  opening  speech, 
said : 

"  We  may  fairly  claim  tliat,  from  first  to  last,  Cyrus  W. 
Field  has  been  more  closely  identified  with  the  Atlantic  Tel- 
egraph than  any  other  living  man ;  and  his  name  and  his 
fame,  which  the  Queen  of  Great  Britain  has  justly  left  to  the 
care  of  the  American  government  and  people,  will  be  proudly 
cherished  and  gratefully  honored.  We  are  in  daily  use  of 
the  fruits  of  his  labors;  and  it  is  meet  that  the  men  of  com- 
merce, of  literature  and  of  law,  of  science  and  art — of  all  the 


TIIK   A  FT  HUG  LOW. 


38;) 


I  1 


jji-ofossioJis  that  iiiipiirt  di^fiiity  and  worth  to  our  luitiirc - 
slioiild  coino  lonfctlior  and  ffivn  a  hearty,  joyous,  and  t,'cijor- 
ous  wclcdiMc  to  this  truly  cliivah'ous  sou  of  Aiuorica. " 

He  |)i'()|)(»s(!(l  tlio  lioiiltli  of  llieir  guest  : 

"  (.'viU's  W.  Ffkli),  tlio  projector  and  nmiusprinj;  of  tho 
Athiiilii;  Tclc^frapli :  wliilo  Uw  liritisli  i,''ov«'rnm('iit  jus'ly 
lioiiors  thost^  who  liavi;  taken  part  with  hiru  iu  tliis  '^wnl 
work  of  tlic  ai,''!',  kin  faiuo  ht,'h)uys  to  us,  uiwl  will  ho  chcr- 
isht'd  and  j^'narded  hy  his  i-ountryiiieii." 

In  his  reply,  Mr.  V'h)U\  told  tlio  story  with  tho 
utmost  simplicity,  passing  rapidly  over  the  icarly  thir- 
teen years,  through  which  tho  enterprise  hud  struggled 
Avith  such  doubtlid  fortunes,  and  taking  pains  to  do 
full  justice  to  all  who  shared  in  its  labors,  its  disjip- 
pointments  and  its  triumphs.  Espci-jally  did  ho  award 
tho  highest  praise  to  tho  government  of  England  for  its 
libei'al  and  ccmstant  support ;  to  her  men  of  science 
and  her  great  capitalists,  and  to  the  officers  of  ships, 
electricians  and  engineers,  who  had  taken  part  in  this 
undertaking.     In  closing,  he  said  : 

"Of  tlie  results  of  this  enterprise  —  comineroially  and 
politically — it  is  for  others  to  speak.  To  one  effect  oidy  do  I 
refer  as  the  wisli  of  my  heart — that,  as  it  hring's  us  into  closer 
relations  with  Eng'land,  it  may  produce  a  hetter  under- 
standing between  the  two  countries.  Let  who  will  speak 
against  England — words  of  censure  must  come  from  other 
lips  than  mine.  I  have  received  too  much  kindness  from 
Englishmen  to  join  in  tliis  language.     I  have  eaten  of  their 


i 


r-SSI**  "iRSS^Smif, 


-'tiiivtiiifoisrmi 


mm*» 


tMBSffinr:" 


v^sSSS^'i- 


884 


STORY  OP  THE   ATLANTIC  TKLEGRAPH. 


:-M 


])i'(';i(l  and  drunk  of  their  cup,  and  I  liave  received  from  lliein, 
in  the  darkest  hours  of  this  enterjirise,  words  of  ciieer  Avhich 
I  shall  never  for<,'et;  and  if  any  words  of  mine  can  tend  to 
peace  and  good  will,  they  shall  not  be  wanting?.  I  bejf  my 
countrymen  to  remember  the  ties  of  kindred.  Blood  is 
thicker  than  water.  America  with  all  her  greatness  has 
come  out  of  the  loins  of  England;  and  though  tliere  liave 
been  .sometimes  family  quarrels — bitter  as  family  quarrels 
are  apt  to  be — still  in  our  hearts  there  is  a  yearning  for  the 
old  liome,  the  land  of  our  fathers;  and  he  is  an  enemy  of  his 
country  and  of  the  human  race,  who  would  stir  up  strife 
between  two  nations  that  are  one  in  race,  in  language  and 
in  religion.  I  close  with  this  sentiment  :  Engl.vn'D  and 
AmEHIOA— CLASPING  HANDS  ACROSS  THE  SEA,  MAY  THIS  FIRM 
GRASP  BE  A  PLEDGE  OF  FRIENDSHIP  TO  ALL  GENERATIONS!"' 
(To  which  the  whole  assembly  responded  by  i-ising,  and  by 
prolonged  and  tumultuous  cheers.) 

In  the  brilliant  array  of  guests  was  recognized  the 
tall  form  of  General  Meade,  who  was  loudly  called  for 
as  "  the  hero  of  Gettyslnirg,"'  to  which  he  replied  tliat 
there  was  but  one  hero  on  this  occasion,  and  lie  luid 
travelled  a  hundred  miles  to  be  there  that  night  to  do 
him  honor.  lie  said  :  '•  I  have  watcheil  with  eager- 
ness the  struggle  through  which  he  has  passed  and  the 
disasters  which  atttnided  his  early  efforts  ;  and  I  iiave 
admired  and  applauded,  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart, 
the  tenacity  of  purpose  with  which  that  man  has  con- 
tinued to  hold  on  to  his  original  idea,  with  a  firm  faith 
to  carry  to  completion  one  of  the  greatest  works  the 
world  has  ever  seen." 


II? 


\  ti.\ 


THE  AFTERGLOW. 


385 


The  lieurtiness  of  this  sokherly  reply  was  echoed 
by  the  bkiff  old  warrior,  Admiriil  Fai'ragut,  who  had 
been  so  often  through  the  smoke  and  flame  of  battle, 
that  he  knew  how  to  aj)i)reciate  not  only  common 
courage,  but  the  desperate  tenacity  which  holds  on  in 
spite  of  disaster,  that  has  gained  many  a  victory. 

Letters  were  read  from  the  President  of  the  United 
States,  from  Chief  Justice  Ciiase,  from  (ieneral  Grant, 
from  Sir  Frederick  Bruce,  tlie  British  Minister,  from 
Senators  ^[organ  and  Sunmer,  from  General  Dix,  Min- 
ister to  France,  and  otliers.  The  Chief  Justice  of  the 
United  States  wrote : 

"I  am  vory  .sorry  that  I  caiiiiot  leave  Was]iin<,ftoii  this 
week,  and  so  cannot  avail  myself  of  ycmr  kind  invitation  to 
join  you  in  congratidations  to  Mi*.  Field  upon  the  success  of 
his  grand  undertaking?.  It  is  the  most  wonderful  acliiev(!- 
ment  of  civilization;  and  to  his  sa<;-acity,  ])atience.  ])ersever- 
auce,  coura<T^e,  and  faith,  is  civilization  indehted  for  it. 

"Such  works  entitle  their  authors  to  distinj,''uished  rank 
amonfif  public  benefactors.  You  will  write  the  name  of  your 
honored  guest  high  upon  that  illustrious  i-oll,  and  there  it 
will  remain  in  honor,  while  oceans  divide  and  telegraphs 
unite  mankind." 

There  was  a  telegraph  instrument  in  the  room,  and 
des])atclies  were  r(>ceived  dui'ing  the  evening  from  Mr. 
Seward,  Secretaiy  of  State,  and  other  members  of  the 
Cabinet  at  Washington,  from  Lord  Monck,  Governor- 
General  of  Canatla,  from  the  Govei'nor  (jf  Newfound- 
land, and  others.  One,  from  Captain  Sir  James 
25 


mat 


mm 


mmm 


JU\ 


386 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


Anderson,  was  dated  at  London  the  same  day.  John 
Bright  also  wrote  a  despatcli  and  sent  it  to  London, 
but  bv  an  oversin^ht  it  was  not  forwarded.  He  after- 
Avard  wrote  a  letter,  giving  the  message.  It  was  as 
follows : 

"It  is  fitting  you  should  honor  the  man  to  whom  the 
whole  world  is  debtor.  He  brought  capital  and  science 
together  to  do  his  bidding,  and  Europe  and  America  are 
forever  united.  I  cannot  sit  at  your  table,  but  I  can  join  in 
doing  honor  to  Cyrus  W.  Field.  ^.ly  hearty  thanks  to  him 
may  mingle  with  yours." 

He  adds  that  he  regarded  what  had  been  done  as  the 
most  marvellous  thing  in  human  history  ;  as  more  mar- 
vellous than  the  invention  of  the  art  of  printing,  or, 
he  was  almost  ready  to  say,  than  the  voyages  of  the 
Genoese ;  and  of  Mr.  Field,  he  says,  "  The  world  does 
not  yet  know  Avhat  it  owes  to  him,  and  this  generation 
Avill  never  know  it." 

About  the  same  time,  in  a  speech  at  a  great  Reform 
Meeting  in  Leeds,  he  bore  this  proud  testimony  : 

"A  friend  of  mine,  Cyrus  Field,  of  New  York,  is  the 
Columbus  of  our  time,  for  after  no  less  than  forty  voyages 
across  the  Atlantic,  in  pursuit  of  the  great  aim  of  his  life,  he 
has  at  length,  by  liis  cable,  moored  the  New  Woi-ld  clo.se 
alongside  the  Old. " 

Nor  was  this  mere  rhetoric,  a  burst  of  extravagance, 
to  whicli  an  orator  might  give  Avay  in  the  excitement 
of  a  public  occasion ;    it  Avas  a  comparison  Avhich  he 


THE  AFTERGLOW. 


387 


repeated  on  many  occasions,  thouf^h  slightly  varied  in 
expression.  Mr.  G.  W.  Sraalley,  tlio  well-knoAvn  cor- 
respondent of  the  New  York  Tribune,  in  writing  from 
London,  on  the  very  day  that  Mr.  Field  was  carried  to 
his  grave,  recalls  how  he  heard  it  from  Mr.  Eright's 
own  lips.     He  says  : 

"The  great  orator  spoke  of  the  great  Aiuericaii  in  terms 
whicli  he  did  not  bestow  lavishly,  and  never  bestowed  care- 
lessly. His  respect  for  Mr.  Field's  public  work  was  suffi- 
ciently shown  in  the  splendid  eulogy  wliich  Ik;  passed  upon 
him.  To  be  called  by  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Briglit  the  Colum- 
bus of  the  Nineteentli  Century  is  renown  enough  for  any 
man.  The  epithet  is  imperisliable.  It  is,  as  Thackeray  said 
of  a  similar  tribute  to  Fielding  in  Gibbon,  like  having  your 
name  written  on  the  dome  of  St.  Peter's.  The  world  knows 
it  and  the  world  remembers.  I  heard  Mr.  Briglit  use  the 
phrase,  and  he  adorned  and  emphasized  it  in  his  noblest 
tones." 

America  has  no  official  lionors  to  bestow,  no  knight- 
hoods or  baronetcies  to  confer.  But  one  honor  it  has, 
the  thanks  of  Congress,  which,  like  the  thanks  of  Par- 
liament,  is  the  more  highly  prized  in  that  it  is  so  rarely 
bestowed,  being  reserved  generally  for  distinguished 
officers  in  the  army  or  navy,  like  Generals  Grant, 
Sherman  or  Sheridan,  or  Admiral  Farragut,  who  havo 
■won  great  victories.  Yet  such  was  the  feeling  on  this 
occasion,  that  when  Senator  ^Morgan,  of  New  York, 
moved  a  vote  of  thanks  in  tiie  name  of  the  country, 
it  met  with  an  immediate  response.    It  was  at  once 


MRiMaMMM«iiaMn«nm9N*vMM«i 


388 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


I  fc. 


referred  to  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations,  which 
reported  unanimously  in  its  favor;  and  when,  some 
weeks  after,  giving  time  for  due  deliberation,  it  was 
brouglit  up  for  action,  it  passed  with  entire  unanimity. 
In  the  House  of  Ile[)resentatives  it  was  preceded  by 
many  bills,  so  that  there  was  danger  that  it  might  not 
be  I'cached  before  the  end  of  the  session,  yet  on  the 
very  last  day  Speaker  Colfax  requested  unanimous 
consent  of  the  House  to  take  it  up  out  of  its  order, 
which  was  granted,  and  the  resolution  Avas  then  read 
three  times,  and  passed  unanimously.     It  is  as  follows  : 


M    ? 


R       i' 


''Resolved,  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives 
of  the  United  States  of  America,  in  Congress  assembled, 
That  the  thanks  of  Congress  be,  and  they  liereby  are,  pre- 
sented to  Cyrus  W.  Field  of  New  York,  for  liis  foresight, 
courage,  and  determination  in  establisliing  telegraphic  com- 
munication by  means  of  the  Atlantic  cable,  traversing  mid- 
ocean  and  connecting  the  Old  World  with  the  New  ;  and 
that  the  President  of  the  United  States  be  requested  to  cause 
a  gold  medal  to  be  struck,  with  suitable  emblems,  devices, 
and  inscriptions,  to  bo  presented  to  Mr.  Field. 

"  Atid  be  it  further  resolved.  That  when  the  medal  shall 
have  been  struck,  the  President  shall  cause  a  copy  of  this 
joint  resolution  to  be  engrossed  on  parchment,  and  shall 
transmit  the  same,  together  witli  tlie  medal,  to  Mr.  Field,  to 
be  presented  to  him  in  the  name  of  the  people  of  the  United 
States  of  America. 

"Approved  March  2,  1867. 

"Andrew  Johnson." 


THE  AFTERGLOW. 


389 


This  action  of  Congress  reached  Mr.  Field  in  Eno-. 
land.     As  he  was  about  returning  to  America,  Lord 
Derby,  still  at  the  head  of  the  government,  addressed 
to  him  a  letter  in  which  he  repeatetl  what  he  had  said 
before  "in  the  Queen's  name,"  "how  much  of  the  suc- 
cess of  the  great  undertaking  of  laving  the  Atlantic 
Cable  was  due  to  the  energy  and  perseverance  with 
which,  from  the  very  first,  in  spite  of  all  discourage- 
ments, you  adhered  to   and  supported  the  project;" 
and   adding,  "  Your  signal  services   in   carrying  out 
this  great  undertaking  have  been  already  fully  recog- 
nized by  Congress ;  and  it  would  have  been  very  satis- 
factory to   the   Queen   to   have  included   your  name 
among  those  on  whom,  in  commemoration  of  this  great 
event,   her  Majesty   was   pleased    to   bestow   British 
honors,  if  it  had  not  been  felt  that,  as  a  citizen  of  the 
United  States,  it  would  hardly  have  been  competent 
to  you  to  accept  them.     As  long,  however,  as  the  tele- 
graphic communication   between  the  two  Continents 
lasts,  your  name  cannot  fail  to  he  honorably  associated 
Avith  it." 

This  surely  was  all  that  could  be  expected  from 
the  government,  but  some  there  were  in  England  who 
felt  that  there  was  still  a  debt  of  honor  to  be  paid, 
Avhich  required  some  public  testimonial.  Accordingly, 
on  Mr.  Field's  return  to  London,  in  LSOS,  they  pre- 
pared for  him  an  imposing  demonstration  in  the  form 
of  a  banquet,  given  at  "Willis's  Rooms,  on  the  first  of 


^, 


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i.i 


1  ^ 

hi: 


390 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


July,  at  which  was  assembled  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished companies  that  ever  met  to  do  honor  to  a 
private  citizen  of  any  country.  It  embraced  over  four 
hundred  gentlemen  of  all  ranks:  ministers  of  state, 
members  of  parliament,  both  Lords  and  Commons; 
officers  of  the  army  and  navy;  great  capitalists — mer- 
chants and  bankers  ;  men  of  science  and  of  letteis  ; 
inventors,  electricians,  and  engineers — men  eminent  in 
every  walk  of  life.  The  Duke  of  Argyll  presided,  and 
speeches  were  made  by  three  members  of  the  govern- 
ment— Sir  John  Pakington,  Secretary  of  State  for 
"War ;  Sir  Stafford  Xorthcote,  Secretary  of  State  for 
India;  and  Sir  Alexander  Milne,  First  Sea  Lord  of  the 
Admiralty ;  by  John  Bright ;  by  the  venerable  Lord 
Stratford  de  Redcliffe,  so  long  the  British  Minister  at 
Constantinople ;  and  b}'  M.  de  Lesseps,  the  projector  of 
the  Suez  Canal,  who  had  come  from  Egypt  expressly 
to  be  present.  It  was  a  tribute  such  as  is  rarely  paid 
to  any  man  while  living — such  tributes  being  reserved 
for  the  dead  —  and  is  still  more  honorable  in  this 
case,  alike  to  the  givers  and  the  receiver,  in  that  it 
was  paid  by  the  people  of  one  country  to  a  citizen  of 
another,  who  was  regarded  in  both  as  their  common 
benefactor. 

But  enough  of  praise  that  can  fall  only  on  the  dull, 
cold  ear  of  death.  A  few  words  on  the  after  years  of 
this  busy  life,  and  I  have  done.  These  yeai's  brought 
a  rich  reward  for  all  the  sacrifices  of  the  past.     The 


i"ifT 


THE  AFTERGLOW. 


891 


first  feeling  was  one  of  infinite  relief  that  at  last  tlie 
victory  was  won.  The  terrible  strain  was  taken  off, 
and  to  him  who  had  borne  it  so  long,  the«cliange  to  the 
quiet  of  his  own  happy  home  was  inexpressibly  grate- 
ful after  his  many  and  long  separations,  lie  was  now 
in  his  own  country  and  under  his  own  roof,  but  with  a 

r 

name  that  was  known  on  both  sides  of  the  sea.  The 
complete  success  of  the  Atlantic  Telegi-aph  had  given 
him  an  immense  reputation  at  home  and  abroad.  It 
seemed  as  if  the  struggles  of  life  were  all  over,  leaving 
only  its  honors  to  be  enjoyed.  What  moi-e  ccjuld  he 
ask  to  make  life  worth  living  than  the  respect  of  his 
countrymen  for  his  courage,  energ}'  and  perseverance, 
and  a  name  honored  all  over  the  civilized  world  as  one 
of  the  world's  benefactors  ? 

The  practical  results  of  the  cable  were  even  greater 
than  he  had  dared  to  anticipate.  In  the  space  of  a  few 
months  it  wrought  a  commercial  revolution  in  Amer- 
ica. It  was  a  new  sensation  to  have  the  Old  World 
brought  so  near,  that  it  entered  into  one's  dailv  life. 
Every  morning,  as  Mr.  Field  went  to  his  office,  he 
found  laid  on  his  desk  at  nine  o'clock  the  quotations  on 
the  Royal  Exchange  at  twelve  !  Lombard  Street  and 
Wall  Street  talked  with  each  other  as  two  neighbors 
across  the  way.  This  soon  made  an  end  of  the  tribe 
of  speculators  who  calculated  on  the  fact  that  nobody 
knew  at  a  particular  moment  the  state  of  the  market 
on  the  other  side  of  the  sea,  an  universal  ignorance  by 


ki 


.4y''y^jf!9mm!fw<9mm'^''mmmi'mt-af!^:. 


392 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


mn 


which  they  profited  by  getting  the  earliest  advices.  But 
now  everybody  got  them  as  soon  as  they,  for  the  news 
came  wnth  the  rising  of  eacli  day's  sun,  and  the  occupa- 
tion of  a  class  that  did  much  to  demoralize  tratle  on 
both  sides  of  the  ocean  was  gone. 

The  same  restoration  of  order  was  seen  in  the  business 
of  importations,  Avhich  had  been  hitherto  almost  a  mat- 
ter of  guess-work.  A  merchant  who  wished  to  buy 
silks  in  Lyons,  sent  out  his  orders  months  in  advance, 
and  of  course  somewhat  at  random,  not  knowing 
how  the  market  might  turn,  so  that  when  the  costly 
fabrics  arrived,  he  might  find  that  he  had  ordered 
too  many  or  too  few.  A  Ciiina  merchant  sent  his  ship 
round  the  world  for  a  cargo  of  tea,  which  returned 
after  a  3'ear's  absence,  bringing  not  enough  to  supply 
the  public  demand,  leaving  him  in  vexation  at  the 
thought  of  what  he  might  have  made,  "  if  he  had 
known,"  or,  what  was  still  worse,  bringing  twice  too 
much,  in  which  case  the  unsold  half  remained  on  his 
hands.  This  was  a  risk  against  which  he  had  to  be  in- 
sured, as  much  as  against  fire  or  shipwreck.  And  the 
only  insurance  he  could  have  was  to  take  reprisals  by 
an  increasetl  charge  on  his  unfortunate  customers. 

This  double  risk  was  now  greatly  reduced,  if  not  en- 
tirely removed.  The  merchant  need  no  longer  send 
out  orders  a  year  beforehand,  nor  order  a  whole  ship- 
load of  tea  when  he  needed  only  a  hundred  chests,  since 
he  could  telegraph  to  his  agent  for  what  he  Avanted 


THE  AFTERGLOW. 


393 


and  no  more.  With  this  opportunity  for  getting  the 
latest  intelligence,  the  element  of  uncertainty  was 
eliminated,  and  the  importer  no  longer  did  business  at 
a  venture.  Buying  from  time  to  time,  so  as  to  take 
advantage  of  low  markets,  ho  was  able  to  buy  cheaper, 
and  of  course  to  sell  cheaper.  It  would  l)e  a  curious 
study  to  trace  the  effect  of  the  cable  upon  the  prices  of  all 
foreign  goods.  A  New  York  merchant,  who  has  been 
himself  an  importer  for  forty  years,  tells  me  that  the 
saving  to  the  American  people  cannot  be  less  tlian 
many  millions  every  year. 

But  the  slender  cord  beneath  the  sea  had  finer  uses 
than  to  be  a  reporter  of  markets,  giving  quotations  of 
prices  to  counting  rooms  and  banking  houses ;  it  was  a 
link  between  hearts  and  homes  on  opposite  sides  of  the 
ocean,  bearing  messages  of  life  and  death,  of  joy  and 
sorrow,  of  hopes  and  fears.  One  of  its  happiest  uses 
was  the  relief  of  anxiety.  lA  ship  sailed  for  England 
witli  hundreds  of  passengers,  but  did  not  arrive  at  her 
destination  on  the  appointed  day.  Instantly  a  thousand 
hearts  were  tortured  witli  fear,  lest  their  loved  ones  had 
gone  to  tiie  bottom  of  the  sea,  when  the  cable  reported 
that  the  delay  was  due  simply  to  an  accident  to  her 
machinery,  that  would  keep  hei"  back  for  a  day  or  two, 
but  that  the  good  ship  was  safe  with  all  on  board.  AVhat 
arithmetic  can  compute  the  value  of  a  sinirle  niessa<>-e 
that  relieves  so  much  anguish  ?  Thus  the  submarine 
telegraph  stretched  out  its  long  arms  under  the  sea, 


-.■a»^'agsriBr==-  'v. 


394         STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TELKGRAl'II. 

to  lay  II  friendly  hantl  on  t\V(j  pe<j))les,  iintl  y^ive  assur- 
ance to  both. 

Such  a  triumph  (jf  commercial  enterprise  was  enough 
to  satisfy  the  pritle  and  ambition  of  any  man ;  but  it 
Avas  not  in  Mr.  Field's  nature  to  rest  content  with  any 
success,  however  great,  and  he  was  always  reaching 
out  for  some  new  untlertaking  to  give  scope  to  his  rest- 
less activity.  Such  an  opportunity  he  found  in  giving 
rapid  transit  to  New  York,  a  city  which,  though  it  has 
one  of  the  finest  harbors  in  the  v/orld,  witli  approaches 
from  the  sea  that  afford  every  possible  advantage  for 
commerce,  is  not  so  favorably  situated  landward,  as  it 
is  built  on  a  long  and  narrow  island,  between  two  broad 
rivers,  which  confine  it  on  either  side,  so  that  it  is 
stretched  out  to  such  distances  that  it  is  no  easy  mat- 
ter to  pass  from  one  end  to  the  other.  From  the  Bat- 
terj'  to  the  llarlom  river  is  ten  miles,  so  that  working 
men,  who  lived  so  far  away,  were  an  hour  or  more  in 
getting  from  their  homes  to  their  place  of  woi'k,  and 
as  long  in  getting  back  again,  a  large  inroad  upon  their 
hours  of  rest  or  domestic  comfort.  The  only  means  of 
transportation  was  by  street  cars,  which  moved  slowly, 
and  in  winter,  whenever  the  streets  were  blocked  with 
snow,  were  crowded  to  suffocation,  and  dragged  at  a 
snail's  pace  to  the  upper  end  of  the  island. 

This  was  the  great  barrier  to  the  city's  growth,  and 
must  be  removed  if  it  was  not  to  be  stunted  and 
dwarfed  by  these  limitations.     To  furnish  some  relief, 


1  I 


p '.' 


TIIK  AFTI<;i{(iL()\V. 


an  olovatod  riiilroad,  l)iiilt  on  stilts,  had  boon  attoiiiptcd 
on  a  small  scale,  l)ut  soon  broku  down,  wlion  Mv.  Field 
Ijought  the  control  of  tho  whole  concern,  and  took  it  in 
his  own  strong  arms.  It  was  no  easy  matter  to  gal- 
vanize it  into  life,  for  though  it  had  a  charter,  it  was 
still  obstructed  in  tho  legislature,  and  in  the  courts,  so 
that  it  was  a  long  time  before  ho  couhl  get  full  posses- 
sion. But  once  master  of  the  situation,  he  undei'took 
the  work  on  a  grand  scale,  and  pushed  it  with  such 
vigor  that  in  less  than  two  years  the  road  was  in 
operation.  It  has  since  been  extended  with  the  public 
denuind,  until  now  (in  1S02)  there  are  thirty -six  miles 
of  road,  over  which  the  trains  sweep  incessantly  from 
tho  bav  to  the  river,  and  from  the  river  to  the  bav. 

The  structures  are  not  indeed  the  most  graceful  in 
the  world,  as  they  bestride  the  long  avenues  of  tho 
city.  But  these  tall  iron  ])illars,  that  line  our  streets 
for  miles,  are  the  long  legs  of  civilization,  and  have  a, 
S(jmewhat  imposing  effect  as  they  stretch  away  into  the 
distance,  with  tho  fire-drawn  cars  flying  swiftly  over 
them.  Dean  Stanley  glorified  them  b}^  a  historical 
parallel  which  could  occui"  oidy  to  one  full  of  the  won- 
ders of  ancient  times,  that  started  into  life  under  the 
touch  of  his  imagination.  Going  with  him  one  day  on 
an  excursion,  he  stepped  briskly  (for  his  frame  was  so 
light  as  to  offer  little  impediment  to  motion),  and  as 
he  mounted  the  long  stairway,  and  stood  on  the  plat- 
form above  the  crowded  street  below,  he  exclaimed, 


f  - 


300 


STOUY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TKLEOUAPII. 


"  Tills  is  IJahylonian  !     Four  cluiriots  driving  abreast 
on  the  walls  of  the  city  !  " 

But  Babylonian  or  American,  the  success  was  enor- 
mous. As  soon  as  the  i)ublic  became  liimiliai'  with 
these  elevated  roads,  and  felt  that  they  wcM'e  safe  as 
well  as  swift,  tiie  people  swarmed  upon  them,  in  num- 
bers constantly  increasing,  till  now  they  carry  over 
seven  hundred  thousand  passengei-s  a  day  !  On  the 
day  of  the  Colund)us  celebration  (October  1 2th)  it  was 
a  million  and  seventy-live  thousand !  Indeed,  if  wo 
are  not  staggered  by  numbers,  we  may  sum  uj)  the 
whole  in  the  amazing  statement  demonstrated  by 
figures,  that  since  these  roads  were  opened,  they  have 
carried  over  eighteen  hundred  millions  of  passengers, 
more  than  the  whole  population  of  the  globe ! 

Nor  should  it  be  forgotten  that,  not  only  is  the  facil- 
ity thoy  afford  the  greatest,  but  the  fares  the  lowest, 
for,  thanks  to  Mr.  Fiekl,  they  were  reduced  years  ago 
to  five  cents  at  all  hours  and  for  the  longest  distance, 
the  ten  miles  from  the  r>attery  to  the  Ilarleni  river. 

The  effect  was  immediate  in  the  appieciation  of 
real  estate  in  the  cit\',  the  assessed  value  of  Avhich  has 
already  advanced  by  the  sum  of  five  hundred  millions 
of  dollars !  The  increased  taxation  is  enough  to  pay 
for  all  the  cost,  while  as  a  relief  to  the  congested  ]y,v^  ■ 
of  the  city,  and  as  furnishing  a  means  for  tiiat  easy  t 
culation,  which  is  as  necessary  to  a  great  city  as  a  freu 
circulation  of  the  blood  is  to  the  human  body,  it  is  not 


!  } 


ii 


TIIK  AFTKHULOW. 


397 


too  much  to  say  tluit  tlio  eoiistriiction  of  tlio  cIovuUmI 
I'iiilroiuls  is  tlio  groiitost  niutci'iiil  buiiofit  that  has  over 
beeti  cont'oiTod  on  thc5  city  of  Ts'cw  York. 

liiit  l)usy  as  Mr.  Fiohl  was  throiin^h  all  these  yeais, 
much  of  his  life  was  spent  abi'oad.  He  had  interests 
on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic,  but  stronger  than  his 
interests  were  his  friendships  to  attract  him  across  the 
sea.  lie  had  como  to  feel  as  much  at  home  in  Eng- 
hmd  as  in  his  own  country  :  and  his  visits  were  so  fre- 
(\\UH\t  that  his  sudden  appearances  and  disappearances 
were  a  subject  of  amused  comment  to  his  English 
friends.  When  Dean  Stanley  was  in  America,  a  recep- 
tion was  given  to  him  at  the  Century  Club,  where  in  ji 
very  happy  addi-ess,  he  referred  to  the  ties  between  the 
two  countries,  among  which  was  "the  wonderful  cable, 
on  which  it  is  popularly  believed  in  England,  that  my 
friend  and  host,  Mr.  Cyrus  Field,  passes  his  mysteri- 
ous existence,  appearing  and  reajipearing  at  one  and 
the  same  moment  in  London  and  in  New  Yoi'k ! " 

As  Mr.  Field  was  thus  brought  near  to  his  En^-lish 
friends,  they  in  turn  were  brought  near  to  him,  for  as 
no  man  in  America  was  better  known  abroad,  no  house 
received  more  foreign  guests,  many  of  whom  he  had 
not  met  before,  but  who  brought  letters  to  him,  and 
there  was  no  end  to  his  hospitality.  John  Bright  he 
could  not  pei-suade  to  cross  the  sea;  but  he  had  the 
])leasure  to  welcome  his  co-laborer  in  the  repeal  of  the 
Corn-laws,  Richard  Cobden.     The  house  in  Gramercy 


aas 


«BS!ic 


398 


STORY   OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


f    i 


IMM 


sr'J  II 


Pai'k  became  famous  for  its  receptions.  Many  will 
recall  that  j^iven  to  the  ]\rarquis  of  liipoii  and  the 
other  High  Commissioners,  who  came  a  year  or  two 
after  the  war,  as  representatives  of  tliu  !>ritish  g'overn- 
ment,  antl  negotiated  at  Washington  th.o  ti'eaty  which 
settled  the  Alabama  claims;  and  those  to  Dean  Stan- 
lev  and  Archdeacon  Farrai-;  and  to  manv  others.  If 
the  strangers  iiappened  to  arrive  in  the  summer  tinie, 
they  were  entertained  at  his  beautiful  country  seat  on 
the  Hudson,  to  which  he  had  given  tiie  name  of 
"Ardsley,"  from  the  seat  of  John  Field  the  astron- 
omer, who  lived  in  the  West  I^iding  of  Yorkshire  more 
than  three  centuries  ago,  and  introduced  the  Coperni- 
can  astronomy  into  England,  and  from  whom  the 
famil}'  are  descended. 

In  some  cases  Avhen  he  went  abroad,  England  was 
but  the  starting  point  for  excursions  on  the  Continent, 
in  which  he  visited  almost  every  European  countiy. 
In  1S74,  in  company  with  two  well-known  Americans, 
Bayard  Taylor  and  ]\[urat  Ilalstead,  he  maile  a  voy- 
age to  Iceland,  as  ton  years  before  he  iiad  been  to 
Egypt,  as  a  delegate  from  tlie  !New  York  Chamber  of 
Commerce,  to  witness  the  opening  of  the  Suez  Canal. 

In  1880-81  he  took  a  still  longer  flight  around  the 
world.  AVaiting  till  after  the  Presidential  election, 
that  he  might  cast  his  vote  foi-  his  friend  General 
Garfield,  the  very  next  day  he  left  with  his  wife  in  a 
special  car  for  San  Francis(*o,  whei'c  after  a  few  days, 


ill. 


THE  AFTERGLOW. 


;]09 


they  took  ship  for  Japun,  from  \vhich  they  passed 
througli  the  Iiihuul  Sea  to  Shanghai,  and  from  China 
to  Singapore,  and  up  the  Bay  of  Bengal  to  Calcutta, 
where  he  found  the  same  Englisii  nol)leman  whom  he 
luid  entertained  in  New  York,  tiie  Mai'quis  of  Kipon, 
Governor-General  of  India.  Going  up  tiie  countiy,  the 
travellers  visited  Agra  and  Dellii,  wiiere  the  wondei's 
of  architecture  showed  the  magniiicence  of  the  old 
Mogul  Empire.  Tiie  whole  journey  was  one  of  infi- 
nite pleasure  and  instruction,  and  they  were  never 
weary  of  talking  of  the  strange  manners  and  customs 
of  the  people  of  Asia. 

When  they  retui'ued  to  Ami>iica,  General  Garfield 
was  Pi'esident  of  the  United  States,  who,  though  a 
Western  man  by  birth,  had  been  educated  in  New 
England,  at  Williams  College  in  Massachusetts,  where 
he  had  been  graduated  twenty-five  years  before,  and 
n-hich  he  had  a  desij-e  to  revisit;  and  it  was  arranged 
that  he  should  leave  Washington  in  the  morning  of 
July  2(1,  with  as  many  of  his  cabinet  as  coukl  be 
spared  from  the  seat  of  governmeit,  and  come  on  to 
New  York  and  all  he  entertained  at  "Ardsley,"  and 
the  next  day  proceed  u[)  the  Hudson  and  across  the 
country  to  Williamstown  ;  a  programme  which  was 
interrui)te(l  by  tiie  teri-ible  news  that  on  arriving  at 
the  station  in  Wasiiington  he  had  been  sliot,  an  event 
that  instantly  recalled  the  assassination  of  Lincoln. 
At  once  there  rose  a  ciy  of  horror  from  one  end  of  the 


400 


STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


!■'< 


'f '  •'' 


1^ 


land  to  tlie  other,  and  foi"  weeks  tlie  whole  countrv  was 
watching  by  the  bedside  of  the  illustrious  sutFerer. 

Of  course,  the  sympathy  for  the  wife  and  children 
was  universal,  but  Mr.  Field  was  the  first  to  give  this 
sympathy  a  practical  direction.  With  his  quick  eye  he 
saw  the  condition  in  which  they  would  be  left  by  the 
death  of  the  President,  as  for  tl:em  the  law  makes  no 
provision.  His  salary  stops  at  i  ue  very  day  and  hour 
that  he  ceases  to  live,  nor  is  there  a  pension  settled 
upon  his  family,  nor  can  anything  be  paid  from  tlie 
national  treasury  except  by  special  act  of  Congress. 
In  this  extremity  it  occurred  to  Mr.  Field  that  what 
the  Government  failed  to  do  should  be  made  up  by 
private  generosity ;  and  even  before  General  Garfield's 
death  he  started  a  subscription,  heading  it  with  five 
thousand  dollars,  and  taking  it  in  person  to  his  rich 
friends.  The  self-imposed  task  occupied  him  several 
months,  in  which  he  raised  a  fund  of  over  three  hun- 
dred and  sixty  thousand  dollars,  which  was  put  into 
United  States  four  per  cent,  bonds,  yielding  an  inter- 
est of  over  twelve  thousand  dollars  a  year,  to  be  paid 
quarterly  during  the  life  of  Mrs.  Garfield,  and  then 
to  go  to  her  children.  It  was  a  great  satisfaction  to 
have  thus  provided  for  those  who  bore  the  name  of 
a  President  of  the  United  States,  so  that  thev  should 
be  able  to  live  in  the  comfort  and  dignity  that  befitted 
the  family  of  one  who  had  occupied  the  most  exalted 
station  in  the  government. 


I 


THE  AFTERGLOW, 


401 


N'ot  content  witli  this,  Mr.  Field  went  to  Washino-. 
ton,  and  urged  upon  his  friends  in  Congress,  and  finally 
succeeded  in  getting  passed,  a  bill  giving  to  the  widows 
of  all  Presidents  a  pension  of  85,000,  Avhich,  it  added 
to  his  gratification  to  know,  would  apply  to  the  vener- 
able Mrs.  Polk  :  and  that  still  goes,  and  will  o-o  durino- 
her  lifetime,  to  the  wife  of  General  Grant,  as  the 
slight  expression  of  a  nation's  gratitude. 

Next  to  the  interest  he  felt  in  his  own  country,  his 
heart  was  in  England.  While  he  was  an  intense 
American,  and  perhaps,  for  that  very  reason,  because 
he  was  an  American,  he  claimed  kindred  with  the 
people  from  whom  we  are  not  only  descended,  but 
have  received  sucli  an  inlieritance  of  glory.  In  his 
own  words  :  '-America,  with  all  her  greatness,  has  come 
out  of  the  loins  of  p:ngland."  When  he  was  in  India 
he  was  proud  of  the  mighty  English  race  that  from  its 
little  island  governed  an  empire  of  two  hundred  and 
fifty  millions  on  the  other  side  of  the  globe.  Some 
might  have  said  that  he  inherited  no  small  portion  of 
its  unconquerable  spirit. 

And  not  only  did  he  admire  Old  England,  but  he 
loved  Englishmen.  He  knew  all  tliat  was  said  of 
Englisli  I'oserve  and  Englisli  pritle,  but  long  familiarity 
had  taught  him  that  underneath  this  cold  exterior 
were  many  of  tlie  noblest  qualities — courage,  heroism 
and  fidelity  — so  that  it  had  become  a  part  of  his 
creed  that  an  P]nglishman,  when  once  you  have  won 
26 


403        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGRAPH. 


;! 


his  confidence,  will  go  farther  and  fight  harder  for  a 
friend  or  for  a  cause  than  any  other  man  on  the  face 
of  the  earth.  Among  such  a  people  Mr.  Field  Avas 
proud  to  number  many  of  his  dearest  friends. 

A  touching  proof  of  their  regard  for  him  was  given 
but  a  few  months  before  his  death.  On  the  2d  of  De- 
cember, 1890,  he  and  his  Avife  celebrated  their  golden 
Avedding.  For  fifty  years  they  had  traA^elled  on  the 
course  of  life  together.  Children  and  grandchildren 
had  been  born  to  them,  so  that  at  the  close  of  half  a 
century  a  large  and  happy  family  Avas  gathered  round 
those  to  Avhom  they  looked  up  AA'ith  the  tenderest 
affection. 

Among  the  congratulations  of  that  day  was  a  large 
scroll,  signed  by  Mr.  Gladstone,  the  Duke  of  Argyll, 
Lord  Monck,  and  some  eightA'^  others  AA'hose  names  are 
AA'idely  knoAA'n.  It  aams  a  graceful  tribute  from  Eng- 
land to  a  son  of  America,  who  had  done  perhaps 
more  than  an\'  other  living  man  to  bring*  the  two 
countries  and  the  two  peoples  together. 

That  golden  AA'edding  AA^as  the  fit  coronation  of  a  life 
of  Avonderful  acti\"ity,  and  all  the  kindred  Avho  met 
under  that  roof  \A'ere  grateful  for  the  past,  and  full  of 
hopes  for  the  future. 

But  God's  ways  are  not  r'^  our  Avays.  Before  many 
months  the  clouds  began  to  ^. other.  The  next  summer, 
AA'hen  the  family  AA-ere  all  at  their  country  home,  sick- 
ness cast  its  shadoAv  oA'er  their  dAA'"elling,  Avdiich  grew 


'.■ 


:' ;  I 


THE  AFTERGLOW. 


403 


more  grave  till  November  23d,  Avlien  the  leaves  were 
falling  from  the  trees  before  their  door,  the  mother  of 
this  large  household  breathed  her  last.  Two  months 
later  the  eldest  daughter,  who  Avas  also  the  eldest  child 
of  the  family,  followed.  These  repeated  blows  fell 
heavy  on  the  affectionate  heart  of  the  bereaved  hus- 
band and  father,  and  when  to  these  were  added  other 
sorrows  still,  it  seemed  as  if  the  clouds  were  piled  one 
upon  another  till  they  tlarkened  all  the  horizon.  The 
winter  was  a  gloomy  one,  from  its  loneliness  and  its 
many  causes  of  sadness.  But  with  the  returning  spring 
the  grass  grew  green  again,  and  the  trees  ])ut  forth 
their  leaves,  and  it  seemed  as  if  the  new  life  of  nature 
must  put  life  into  the  heart  of  man :  and  when  lie  re- 
moved to  the  country,  and  began  to  drive  about  as  of 
old  among  the  familiar  haunts,  the  beautiful  scenery 
for  a  time  delighted  his  eye,  and  the  change  of  air 
brought  a  touch  of  the  old  spirit,  as  if  perchance  his 
strength  were  about  to  return.  But  it  was  only  a 
momentary  flush,  and  he  soon  took  to  his  room,  where, 
as  he  looked  from  his  windows,  and  saw  the  sun 
ffoinj!:  down  over  the  hills  bevond  the  Hudson,  it  could 
only  remind  him  that  iov  him  tlie  sun  of  life  was  about 
to  set  forever.  Fair  was  the  world  without  but  deso- 
late was  the  home  within,  since  she  who  had  made  its 
brightness  was  gone;  and  here  on  the  12th  of  Jul}'' 
1892,  the  end  came. 

It  was  a  beautiful  morning,  and  the  windows  were 


4^ 


404        STORY  OF  THE  ATLANTIC  TELEGUAPII. 

open,  through  which  the  soft  summer  uir  floated  into 
the  chamber  of  death,  where  his  three  brothers,  all 
that  were  left  of  his  father's  family,  with  those  of  his 
own  household,  were  round  his  bed,  watching  the  dear 
pale  face.  Thus  surrounded  and  beloved  to  the  last, 
he  ceased  to  breathe. 

Two  days  later  a  large  company  from  the  country 
round  and  from  the  city  gathered  at  Ardsley,  and 
stood  on  the  lawn  and  the  slopes  that  lead  up  to  the 
noble  trees  that  shade  the  dwelling,  as  Bishop  Potter 
read  the  blessed  words,  "  I  am  the  Eesurrection  and 
the  Life,  saith  the  Lord  :  he  that  believeth  in  Me, 
though  he  were  dead,  yet  shall  he  live." 

The  next  day  we  bore  him  away  fi-om  his  home,  and 
from  the  great  city  where  he  had  passed  his  busy  life, 
back  to  the  quiet  valley  where  he  was  born,  and  laid 
him  down  in  tlie  shadow  of  the  encircling  hills.* 
"  Bury  me  there,"  lie  had  said,  "  by  the  side  of  my  be- 
loved wife  and  bv  mv  father  and  mother."  The  earth 
closed  over  him,  and  all  his  struggles  and  his  sorrows 
were  buried  in  the  grave. 

The  man  is  gone,  but  the  work  remains,  a  Avork  that 
multiplies  itself,  for  when  once  a  leader  and  explorer 
had  opened  the  way,  others  were  swift  to  follow,  so 
that  now  there  are  no  less  than  ten  cables  stretched 
across  the  Atlantic,  and  every  hour  of  day  or  night, 
"when  men  wake  and  when  they  sleep"  (for  even  in 

*  The  Berksliire  Hills,  Stockbridge,  Massucbusetts. 


THE  AFTI']RGLOW. 


405 


the  hours  of  silence  the  heart  is  still  beating,  only 
a  little  more  slowly),  the  pulse  of  life  is  kept  moving 
to  and  fro.  The  morning  news  comes  after  a  night's 
repose,  and  we  are  wakened  gently  to  tlie  new  day 
that  has  dawned  upon  tlie  world.  That  which  serves 
to  such  an  end ;  which  is  a  connecting  link  between 
countries  and  races  of  men ;  is  not  a  mere  material 
thing,  an  iron  chain,  lying  cold  and  dead  in  the  icy 
depths  of  the  Atlantic.  It  is  a  living,  fleshly  bond 
between  severed  portions  of  the  human  family,  thrill- 
ing with  life,  along  which  ever}'^  human  impulse  runs 
swift  as  the  current  in  human  veins,  and  will  run  for 
ever.  Free  intercourse  between  nations,  as  between 
individuals,  leads  to  mutual  kindly  offices,  that  make 
those  who  at  once  give  and  receive,  feel  that  they  are 
not  only  neighbors  but  friends.  Hence  the  ''  mission  " 
of  submarine  telegraphy  is  to  be  the  minister  of  peace. 
The  first  message  across  the  deep  was  "  Glory  to  God 
in  the  highest ;  peace  on  earth,  good  will  to  men,"  and 
the  first  news  it  brought  Avas  that  of  peace  in  China. 
And  when  again  the  sea  had  found  a  tongue,  its 
first  glad  intelligence  was  that  the  great  war  between 
Austria  and  Prussia  was  ended.  Thus  at  its  verv  birth 
■was  this  new  messenger  baptized  in  the  name  of  Peace, 
and  consecrated  to  a  service  worthy  of  its  name. 

•'  Man  marks  the  eartli  with  ruin:  his  control 
Stops  with  the  shore :  upon  the  watery  plain 
The  wrecks  are  all  thy  deed." 


^1 


IF 


:li 


f!  r 


40G 


STORY  OP  THE  ATLANTIC  TEIiEGRAPIT. 


Not  all !  The  wmth  of  man  adds  to  the  fury  of  tlie 
elements.  To  strew  the  sea  with  wrecks  is  the  woi-k 
of  lightning  and  tempest :  man's  nobler  office  is  to 
restore  what  nature  may  destroy. 

It  was  the  chief  desire  of  him  who  has  gone  to  the 
grave,  that  the  link  which  unites  England  antl  America 
might  bind  the  countries  that  he  loved  the  most  in 
indissoluble  union.  Though  the  two  nations  dwell 
apart,  on  opposite  shores  of  the  same  great  and  witle 
sea,  they  are  now  brought  almost  within  the  sound  of 
each  other's  voice  and  the  touch  of  each  other's  hand  : 
they  can  look  into  each  other's  eyes,  and  exchange 
their  morning  and  evening  congratulations  with  the 
rising  and  setting  of  each  day's  sun.  May  the  instru- 
ment through  which  they  look  and  speak  never  startle 
them  with  rude  alarms,  but  continue  to  whisper  peace 
in  tones  as  gentle  as  the  murmur  of  the  sea,  as  long 
as  the  winds  blow  and  the  waters  roll. 


r..^ 


APPENDIX. 


i.-i 


INSTRUMENTS    FOR    SIGNALLING    ACROSS    THE    ATLANTIC 

OCEAN. 

If  the  project  of  an  Atlantic  Telegraph  be  justly  ascribed 
tonhe  daring  of  an  American,  and  its  success  to  his  courage 
and  perseverance  through  years  of  struggle  and  disappoint- 
ment: the  solution  of  tlie  scientific  problem  involved  in  it,  is 
due  to  tlie  genius  of  a  Scotchman,  wliom  tlie  writer  of  tliis 
volume  first  knew  (and  it  is  a  pleasant  memory  to  have 
known  such  a  man  in  the  beginning  of  his  splendid  career) 
as  Professor  Thomson  of  the  University  of  Glasgow,  where 
his  father  had  been  professor  before  him,  whom  the  son  suc- 
ceeded in  the  Department  of  Physics,  which  included  the 
then  little  known  science  of  Electricity,  to  which  the  young 
professor  devoted  himself  with  all  the  eagerness  of  scientific 
genius.     The   project  of  a  telegraph   across  the  ocean  sug- 
gested new  problems  and  new  difficulties,  to  which  he  ap- 
plied himself  with  characteristic  ardor,  the  result  of  which 
is  here  given.     When  the  .second  expedition  of  the  Great 
Eastern  (in  1866)  was  successful,  the  British  Government  at 
once   recognized  his  eminent  services  ;  and  the  name  of  Sir 
William  Thomson  has  since  been  recognized,  among  the 
leaders  in  scientific  discovery,  not  only  in  England  but  all 
over  the  scientific  world.      The  government  has  recently 
added  a  further  dignity  in  making  him  a  peer  of  the  realm, 
an  honor  hitherto   reserved  generally  for  the  leaders  of 


408 


SIGNALLING  UNDER  THE  SEA. 


armies,  like  Wellington.  To  confer  it  on  a  simple  professor 
shows  an  advance  of  civilization  in  the  respect  paid  to  intel- 
lectual greatness.  In  conferring  such  a  title,  the  govern- 
ment does  not  honor  the  man  more  than  it  honors  itself.  It 
is  to  the  glory  of  England  that  such  an  honor  should  he  paid 
to  science  in  the  person  of  Lord  Kelvin,  as  was  paid  to  litera- 
ture in  the  person  of  Lord  Tennyson. 

The  following,  taken  in  suhstancc  from  an  English  scien- 
tific review,  will  indicate  hriefly,  hut  with  sutlicient  cleai*- 
ness,  the  problem  to  be  solved  in  signalling  to  great  dis- 
tances under  the  sea,  and  the  instruments  by  which  this  is 
accomplished :  — 

The  speed  of  signalling  through  a  submarine  cable  de- 
j)ends  ui)on  its  electrostatic  capacity,  which,  unless  it  be 
very  small,  gives  rise  to  "  retardation." 

In  the  Proceedings  of  the  Royal  Society  for  1855,  Sir 
William  Thomson  showed  how  the  effect  at  the  distant  end 
of  a  cable,  caused  1)y  the  application  of  a  battery  at  one  end, 
could  be  calculated  and  represented  graphically  in  what  is 
called  the  "curve  of  arrival."  After  contact  is  first  made  at 
the  sending  end  between  the  cable  and  one  i)ole  of  the  bat- 
tery (the  other  pole  being  to  earth),  a  cei'tain  interval  of 
time  elapses  before  any  effect  is  felt  at  the  distant  end.  This 
interval  of  time  is  denoted  by  the  letter  a.  After  the  inter- 
val of  time  a  has  passed,  a  current  begins  to  issue  from  the 
cable  at  the  receiving  end,  and  increases  in  strength  very 
rapidly.  After  a  further  interval  of  4a  ov  after  a  period  of 
5a  from  the  first  application  of  the  battery,  it  attains  about 
half  its  maximum  strength,  and  there  is  very  little  sensible 
increase  in  strength  after  a  time  equal  to  10a  has  elapsed. 
The  curve  of  arrival  is  drawn  by  taking  distances  along  o  x  to 
represent  intervals  of  time,  and  distances  along  o  Y  to  rep- 


SIGNALLING  UNDER  THE  SEA. 


409 


I'esent  strengths  of  current.  Curve  No.  I.  sliows  tlie  grad- 
ual increase  in  strength  of  the  received  current  at  one  end 
of  a  cable  when  the  battery  is  applied  to  and  kept  in  con- 
tact with  the  other  end.  For  a  distance  corresponding  to  the 
interval  of  time  a,  the  curve  does  not  sensibly  deviate  from 


^^ 

~\ 

"- 

■"" 

^ 

y 

/ 

/ 

/^ 

^ 

A 

■^ 

V 

\ 

/ 

( 

\ 

d 

f 

N 

s. 

/ 

^ 

V 

n 

z. 

f 

"— - 

,^^^ 

'tt* 

the  straight  line  o  x ;   in  other  words,  no  effect  is  observ- 
able at  the  receiving  end  during  this  time. 

If  now,  instead  of  being  continuously  applied  to  the  bat- 
tery at  the  sending  end,  the  cable  liad  been  applied  to  it  dur- 
ing a  short  interval  of  time,  and  then  di.sconnected  from  the 
battery  and  connected  to  earth,  the  curve  of  arrival  would 
be  of  the  form  shown  by  curve  No.  II.     Curve  No.  II.  shows 


WK^m^'m'  *<»"! 


410 


SIGNALLING   UNDKR  THE  SEA. 


\<    i 


i 


);1 

I 


the  effoct  of  aijplying  tlio  battery  (lurinj;  a  lonpth  of  time 
equal  to  4<i,  and  then  jmtting  the  cable  to  earth.  It  will  be 
seen  that  a  current  gradually  diminishing  in  strength  con- 
tinues to  flow  out  of  the  cable  at  the  distant  end  for  a  con- 
siderable time  after  the  battery  has  been  disconnected.  This 
continued  discharge  is  what  gives  rise  to  the  difHculty  ex- 
perienced in  reading  the  signals  sent  through  long  cables. 

The  instrument  first  used  for  receiving  signals  throiigh 
a  long  submarine  cable  (the  short-lived  IHSH  Atlantic  cable) 
was  the  Mirror  Galvanometer,  which  consisted  of  a  small 
mirror  witli  four  light  magnets  attached  to  its  y)ack  (weigh- 
ing, in  all,  less  than  half-a-grain),  susi)ended  by  means  of  a 
single  silk  fibre,  in  a  proper  position  witljin  the  hollow  of 
a  bobbin  of  fine  wire:  a  suitable  controlling  magnet  being 
placed  adjacent  tt)  the  apparatus.  The  action  of  this  instru- 
ment is  as  follows.  On  the  pas.sagc  of  a  current  of  electricity 
through  the  fine  wire  coil,  the  suspended  magnets  with  the 
mitror  attached,  tend  to  take  up  a  position  at  right  angles 
to  the  i)laiie  of  the  coil,  and  are  deflected  to  one  side  or  the 
other  according  as  the  current  is  in  one  direction  or  the 
other. 

Of  various  other  forms  of  receiving  instruments  devised 
by  Sir  William  Thomson,  the  next  to  be  noticed  is  the  Spark 
Recorder,  both  on  account  of  the  principles  involved  in  its 
construction,  and  because  it  in  some  respects  foreshadowed 
the  more  perfect  instrument,  the  Siphon  Recorder,  which 
he  introduced  some  years  later.  The  action  of  the  Spark 
Recorder  was  as  follows.  An  indicator,  suitably  supported, 
was  caused  to  take  a  to-and-fro  motion,  by  means  of  the 
electro-magnetic  action  due  to  the  electric  currents  consti- 
tuting the  signals.  This  indicator  was  connected  to  a  Ruhm- 
korff  coil  or  other  equivalent  ajiparatus,  designed  to  cause  a 


I  »' 


SIGNALLING   UNDER  TIIK  SKA. 


411 


continual  succfssion  of  Hi)arkH  to  puss  betwoi-n  tlio  indicntor, 
and  n  uictal  plate  sittiated  iM'tioaf  li  it  and  liavinjf  a  ])Ian<>  sur- 
face parallnl  to  its  line  of  motion.     Over  the  surface  of  thia 


Fio.  1. 


plate  and  between  it  and  the  indicator,  there  was  passed,  at 
a  regularly  uniform  speed  in  a  direction  perjjendicular  to  the 
line  of  motion  of  the  indicator,  a  matei-ial  capable  of  beinj^ 


\ 


412 


SIGNALLING  UNDER  THE  SEA. 


m>. 


?.ii 


>»i{l« 


li.-  '  I 


fi 


acted  OK  physically  l^y  tlic  spai-ks,  cithoi-  through  their 
chemical  action,  their  iiout.  or  tlioii"  perforating  force.  The 
record  of  the  signals  given  hy  this  instrument  was  au  un- 
dulating Lne  of  fine  perforations  or  spots,  and  the  character 
and  sucvoessioii  of  the  undulations  were  used  to  interpret  the 
signals  desired  to  be  sent. 

The  latest  form  of  /•«;e/iv'»^  instrument  for  long  submarine 
cables,  is  that  of  the  Siphon  Record(?r.  for  wliich  Sir  William 
Thomson  obtained  his  first  ])ati'nt  in  tStST.  Within  the  tliree 
succeeding  years  he  eflfected  great  improvements  on  it,  and 
the  instrument  has,  since  that  date,  been  exclusively 
employed  in  working  most  of  the  jnorc  im))ortant  subma- 
rine cables  of  the  world — indeed  all  except  those  on  which 
the  Mirror-Galvanometer  method  is  stiil  in  use. 

In  the  Siphon  Recorder  (a  view  of  which  is  sliown  in 
Fig.  1),  the  indicator  consists  of  a  light  rectangular  signal- 
coil  of  fine  wire,  susjiended  between  the  poles  of  a  powerful 
electro-magnet,  so  as  to  be  free  to  move  about  its  longer  axis 
which  is  vertical,  and  so  joined  u])  that  the  electric  currents 
constituting  the  signals  through  the  cable,  ))ass  through  it. 
A  fine  glass  siphon-tube  is  suitalily  suspended,  so  as  to  have 
only  one  degree  of  freedom  to  move,  and  is  coiniected  to  the 
signal-coil  so  as  to  mo^-e  with  it.  The  short  leg  of  the 
siphoii-tube  dips  into  au  insulated  ink-bottle,  wliicb  permits 
of  the  ink  contained  by  it  being  oloctrified,  while  the  'ong 
leg  is  situated  so  that  its  open  end  is  at  a  very  small  distance 
from  a  hra.ss  table,  jjlaced  with  its  surface  parallel  to  the 
plane  in  which  the  mouth  of  this  leg  moves,  and  over  which 
a  slip  of  paper  maj'  be  ])assed  at  a  uniform  rate  as  in  the 
Spark  Recorder  The  effect  of  elt^ctrifying  the  ink  is  to 
cause  it  to  be  )>rojec*ed  in  very  n\inute  drops  from  the  open 
end  of  the  siphon-tube,  towards  the  brass  table  or  on  the 


SIGNALLING  UNDER  THE  SEA. 


413 


pappi'-slip  passing:  over  it.  Tims  when  tho  sig-nal-coil  moves 
in  obe(li(Mici'  to  the  electric  si;,''nal  currents  passed  throu^'li  it, 
the  motion  tlien  comnmnicated  to  the  siphon,  is  recorded  on 
the  moving  slip  of  jjuper  by  a  wavy  hne  of  ink  marks  very 


FIG.  2. 

close  together.  The  interpretation  of  tlie  signals  is  accoi'd- 
ing  to  the  Morse  codi-  ;  the  dot  and  dash  being  represetited 
by  deflections  of  the  litie  to  one  side  or  the  other  of  tlie  cen- 
tre line  of  the  pai>er. 


414 


SIGXiNLLIXG  UNDER  THE  SEA. 


Perfect  as  this  instrument  seemed,  yet  after  further  years 
of  study  and  experiment.  Sir  William  Thomson  was  able,  at 
the  close  of  1883,  to  present  to  the  world  the  Siphon  Recorder, 
greatly  improved,  because  in  a  very  nmcli  simpler  form.  In 
this  form  of  the  instrument,  instead  of  the  electro-magnets, 


t  »  ! 


V  '■■," 


:'>-!  I  i'fi 


[•A  ! 


1  i 


FIG.  a. 

he  used  two  bundles  of  long  bar-magnets  of  square  section 
and  made  up  of  square  bars  of  glass-hard  steel.  The  two 
bundles  are  supported  vertically  on  a  cast-iron  socket,  and 
on  tlie  ujtper  end  of  eacli  is  lilted  a  soft  iron  shoe,  so  shaped 
as  to  concentrate  the  lines  of  force  and  thus  produce  a  strong 


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